An Iranian woman who peacefully protested the obligatory hijab rule by removing her head scarf in public in Tehran in December says she has been sentenced to two years in prison in addition to an 18-year suspended prison term.

Shaparak Shajarizadeh also says she has left Iran to escape "injustices."

In a live broadcast shared widely on social media this week, Shajarizadeh said that she was sentenced to prison for opposing the compulsory hijab.

"This means that I will have to be silent for 20 years and not get involved in any activities," Shajarizadeh said on Instagram.

Prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh who represented Shajarizadeh and other women arrested for opposing the compulsory hijab was arrested last month.

Shajarizadeh, 42, was released on bail in late April.

In a video posted online on July 9, she said she has left Iran.

"Due to the injustices in Iran's judicial system, I had to leave the country," she said.

Earlier this year, Iranian authorities announced they had detained 29 women who removed their head scarves as part of a campaign against the country's mandatory Islamic dress code.

Police claimed the women had been "tricked" into removing their veil by a propaganda campaign being conducted by Iranians living abroad.

Women's dress has been heavily scrutinized in Iran since the 1979 revolution, when adherence to an Islamic dress code became compulsory.

The dress code dictates that women's hair and body must be covered in public.

Morality police launch regular crackdowns on those who are not fully respecting rules relating to the hijab.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and AP

</s>An Iranian woman who removed her hijab in public in protest in December says that she was sentenced to two years in prison and given another 18 years as a suspended sentence. Suspended sentences are a legal arrangement that lets a person skip jail time so long as they don't break any more laws.The woman, Shepark Shajarizadeh, 42, made the claims in a video posted to social media on July 10. On her personal website she wrote that she was imprisoned for "opposing the compulsory hijab" and "waving a white flag of peace in the street."Shajarizadeh's lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, told Amnesty International that she was placed in solitary confinement in a prison in Tehran and was beaten. Shajarizadeh was released on bail in late April. In June, Sotoudeh was reportedly arrested.US officials egged on the protest in January, with US President Donald Trump tweeting a pledge to provide "great support from the United States," and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stating that "All freedom-loving people must stand with their cause," at a press conference on January 2.The day before Haley's remarks, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of "external interference" in Iran during the unrest.The Iranian government has not commented on Shajarizadeh's claims.</s>An Iranian woman who took off her headscarf and waved it from a stick in protest in December says she has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Shapark Shajarizadeh posted on her personal website that she had been jailed for “opposing the compulsory hijab” and “waving a white flag of peace in the street.”

In Iran, women showing their hair in public face penalties ranging from a $26 fine to being locked up.

There was no immediate comment from officials of the Islamic Republic, the Associated Press reports.

Cops in Iran collared 29 women in February for removing their headscarves as part of a campaign known as “White Wednesdays.”

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer who represented Shajarizadeh and other women, was arrested last month.

Shajarizadeh, 42, was released on bail in late April. Her current whereabouts were unknown.

Back in January Sotoudeh raised concern over another protester after a different video of a girl waving a hijab in the street went viral.

An unidentified 31-year-old mom has not been seen in public since she stood on a pillar box along one of Tehran’s busiest street without a headscarf.

Sotoudeh said could not find out the woman’s name, but was told she was 31 years old and had a 19-month-old baby.

“What I am certain about is that this lady has been arrested,” she told AFP.

“The witnesses on the scene who saw her being taken away and even accompanied her to the police station gave me this information. I have no contact with her family.”

Sotoudeh said the woman’s protest appeared to show someone “at the end of their tether because of all the controls placed on her body over the 31 years of her life”.

“Women feel they have no control over their bodies. It is a prelude to infringing on all of their rights,” she said.</s>An Iranian woman has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for removing her hijab to protest the compulsory Islamic covering in December, 2017. .

Shaparak Shajarizadeh took to her personal website to announce that she has been jailed for “opposing the compulsory hijab” and “waving a white flag of peace in the street”.

29 people were arrested in February by the police for removing their headscarves as part of a campaign known as “White Wednesdays.” .

Shajarizadeh, 42, was subjected to torture and beatings after her arrest, her lawyer said. In Iran, women showing their hair in public face penalties ranging from a $25 fine to prison time.</s>The woman, Shepark Shajarizadeh, 42, made the claims in a video posted to social media on July 10. On her personal website she wrote that she was imprisoned for "opposing the compulsory hijab" and "waving a white flag of peace in the street."

Her protest was part of a wider movement that resulted in the arrest of 35 people in Iran between December 2017 and February 2018, according to Amnesty International (media reports place the number arrested at 29). The women were arrested for removing their head coverings as a part of the "White Wednesdays" protest movement.

Shajarizadeh's lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, told Amnesty International that she was placed in solitary confinement in a prison in Tehran and was beaten. Shajarizadeh was released on bail in late April. In June, Sotoudeh was reportedly arrested.

US officials egged on the protest in January, with US President Donald Trump tweeting a pledge to provide "great support from the United States," and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stating that "All freedom-loving people must stand with their cause," at a press conference on January 2.

The day before Haley's remarks, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of "external interference" in Iran during the unrest.

The Iranian government has not commented on Shajarizadeh's claims.</s>An Iranian woman who removed her obligatory Islamic headscarf out of protest in December says she has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Shapark Shajarizadeh posted on her personal website that she had been jailed for "opposing the compulsory hijab" and "waving a white flag of peace in the street."

There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

Police in Iran arrested 29 people in February for removing their headscarves as part of a campaign known as "White Wednesdays." Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer who represented Shajarizadeh and other women, was arrested last month.

Shajarizadeh, 42, was released on bail in late April. Her current whereabouts were unknown.

In Iran, women showing their hair in public face penalties ranging from a $25 fine to prison time.</s>An Iranian woman who protested the obligatory Islamic headscarf by removing it in public says she has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Shapark Shajarizadeh, 42, was arrested in February after she was filmed standing on a traffic island in the Iranian capital Tehran, while waving her headscarf around on the end of a stick.

This week, she posted on her personal website that she had been jailed for 'opposing the compulsory hijab' and 'waving a white flag of peace in the street.'

Shajarizadeh was released on bail in late April after Amnesty reported that she had been charged with 'inciting corruption and prostitution'.

Her current whereabouts are unknown, and there has been no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

In a video posted on Twitter, Ms Shajarizadeh said she had fled the country upon being released on bail because she feared for her own safety.

In the month of February alone, Iranian police arrested 29 women for removing their headscarves in public as part of a campaign known as 'White Wednesdays.'

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer who represented Shajarizadeh and other women, was arrested last month.

The Islamic dress code, in place since the 1979 revolution, considers veiling obligatory for any female above 13 in Iran and says they should cover themselves from head to toe, while disavowing any figure-hugging clothes.

Breaking the rules can result in fines of up to 500,000 rials (£17) and up to two months in prison.

President Hassan Rouhani, who came to power in 2013 promising a more moderate stance, has previously said it is not the job of police to enforce religious rules such as those forcing women to cover their hair.

But in April 2016, officials said there were 7,000 undercover morality police reporting on things like 'bad hijab' - a blanket term usually referring to un-Islamic dress by women.

Figures are rarely given, but Tehran's traffic police said in late 2015 they had dealt with 40,000 cases of bad hijab in cars, where women often let their headscarves drop around their necks.

These cases generally led to fines and a temporary impounding of the vehicle.</s>The sport of basketball transcends race, gender and religion.

In the on-going FIBA 3×3 World Cup here in the Philippines, a female squad from Iran sported hijabs – a veil worn by Muslim women – while seeing action in the halfcourt.

True to their faith, the Iranian women’s 3×3 team wore the hijab with pride and salvaged their first and only victory of the annual tournament held this year at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Iran defeated Andorra, 21-12, to close out their World Cup campaign on a winning note.

Banned for years by basketball’s world governing body over safety issues, the hijab – along with other headgears worn by players from Islamic nations – was finally allowed by FIBA to be used on court after its 2017 Mid-term Congress. Provisions were set by FIBA to permit the use of veils, turbans and the like in international competitions.

Iran may have failed to enter the quarterfinal rounds, but the ladies were just as proud to finally showcase their skills on court while still practicing their Muslim faith.

Saiedeh Elli, who topscored for Iran against Andorra with 11 points, related how honoured the team was to represent their Muslim faith on court. “This is the first time in the World Cup for Iran’s women’s team. This is our first win with this hijab on,” said the 32-year old Elli.

It was just the second international competition for the Iranian team after last year’s Asia Cup in China. Despite the early exit, the Iranians would be bringing home valuable lessons from their World Cup stint.

Kimiya Yazdian Tehrani, Iran’s youngest player at 21 years old, chimed in on the unique experience. “It’s a good experience for Iranian girls that we played with hijabs on and we are the first team in the world,” said Tehrani.

Overall, the team was thankful for the chance to share the halfcourt with the best 3X3 teams in the world. According to Elli, “I am so happy because every team here are all kind with us. The people from the Philippines are nice and we had a nice experience in this tournament.”

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Shaparak Shajarizadeh, one of the Iranian women in the Girls of Enghelab Street protest against the hijab rule, says that she has left Iran after being sentenced to two years in prison and an 18-year suspended prison term.