Watchdog

Iranian women's rights activists posted videos of themselves publicly removing their veils on July 12 to coincide with National Day of Hijab and Chastity.

The videos appeared on social media networks as women -- and in some cases men -- expressed their opposition to Iran’s law mandating that women wear a hijab in public.

Some videos showed women leaving scarves and shawls in the street and throwing them away. Some women appeared on public transport and in stores without a hijab, and some women wrote about their personal experiences or shared their observations on the hijab.

July 12 is Hijab and Chastity Day on the calendar of the Islamic republic, and government institutions and agencies are supposed to promote this for a week.

Iranian state television on July 12 aired a video of a Hijab and Chastity ceremony showing 13 women wearing green hijabs and long white robes as they danced to a narration that quoted verses from the Koran and stressed the importance of women being covered. The video was met with ridicule on social media.

Previously, several women's rights activists and civil activists had asked male and female Iranian citizens to show their opposition to the mandatory hijab in the country on the National Day of Hijab and Chastity. Following this call, videos and images started appearing on social media networks on the morning of July 12.

The New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) said on July 11 there were "serious concerns over more potential violence and detentions on July 12."

The semiofficial Fars news agency said several people were arrested on July 11.

The hijab became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls over the age of 9 after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Many Iranian women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

With writing and reporting by Ardeshir Tayebi

BISHKEK -- A well-known Kyrgyz jazz musician who was arrested in Kazakhstan during deadly anti-government protests in January says investigators in his country concluded that he was severely beaten by Kazakh law enforcement.

Vikram Ruzakhunov wrote on Facebook on July 11 that police in Bishkek's Lenin district had completed his case and concluded that Kazakh authorities had inflicted severe injuries.

"The complied materials will be sent via the Prosecutor-General's Office of the Kyrgyz Republic to the relevant authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice," Ruzakhunov wrote.

Ruzakhunov said earlier that he had suffered a chest injury, broken ribs, a concussion, and multiple bruises while in Kazakh custody.

Anti-government protests sparked by a fuel price hike erupted in Kazakhstan in early January. Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has publicly blamed what he said were “extremists” trained abroad for attacking Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, during the unrest. He has not produced any evidence to back up the claim.

Ruzakhunov's situation was amplified when a Kazakh television channel showed a video in which he said he was recruited by an unspecified group to take part in the unrest for $200. In the video, severe bruises can be seen on Ruzakhunov's face.

The video sparked protests in Kyrgyzstan, where Ruzakhunov was immediately recognized by his fans. The Kyrgyz government demanded Kazakhstan release him, and he was freed. He arrived in Bishkek on January 10.

Kazakhstan's deputy prosecutor general, Aset Shyndaliev, said in June that six people were tortured to death after being arrested for taking part in the protests, and 232 people died during the protests, which were violently dispersed by law enforcement and the armed forces.

Shyndaliev said at the time that eight officers of the Committee of National Security (KNB) and a police officer had been arrested on charge of torturing suspects. Overall, he said, 15 officers are suspected of using torture and illegal methods of interrogation.

The Prosecutor-General's Office said earlier that 25 people were officially considered victims of torture by hot irons used by investigators during interrogations.

Human rights groups insist that the number of killed during the unrest may be much bigger, presenting proof that many peaceful demonstrators and persons who had nothing to do with the protesters were killed by police and military personnel following an order from Toqaev to "shoot to kill without warning."