PodcastTurkey releases Iranian anti-Hijab activist after brief detention
Turkish authorities on Sept. 7 detained Iranian activist Maryam Shariatmadari on the grounds that "her visa had expired," but a day later released her. Shariatmadari fled Iran in 2018, a year after she was sentenced to prison for her vocal criticism of the country's hijab mandate.
Ayhan Çimendağ - DUVAR
Iranian activist Maryam Shariatmadari who fled Iran in 2018 was on Sept. 7 detained in western Turkey on the grounds that her visa had expired. The activist however was released shortly after.
A vocal critic of Iran's hijab mandate, Shariatmadari was sentenced to prison with a group of women in 2017.
The Denizli Bar Association intervened during the activist's detention, noting that she would have a month-long grace period to leave the country in the case of a visa expiration.
#MeryemŞariatmedari’nin tutuklandığı anları yansıtan İnstagram üzerinden yaptığı canlı yayın! pic.twitter.com/okZuNRzAJW
— Peyman Aref (@Peyman_Aref) September 7, 2020
The activist started the process to renew her visa.
Iranian activist Masih Alinejad also tweeted a video of Shariatmadari, noting that her detention could result in her deportation to Iran, which would be risky considering the conditions she left under.
Sayın Türk dostlarımız. Maryam Shariatmadari, Türkiye’ye sığınmış İran asıllı aktivist, İran’a iade edilme riski yaşıyor. Maryam İran’daki zorunlu başörtüsüne karşı sokakta türbanını çıkarmıştı. Lütfen İran’a iade edilmesine izin vermeyin. Lütfen yardım edin. pic.twitter.com/TcSz2csuWq
— Masih Alinejad ?️ (@AlinejadMasih) September 7, 2020