At 42, she said stop. In 2018, Shaparak Shajarizadeh decided to remove his veil in public from the Iranian streets. For a few minutes, she remained standing, holding her white hijab at the end of a stick in protest. Like other women before her, in this country where the wearing of the veil is compulsory, this mother was arrested, sentenced and forced into exile with her husband and son. This week, she was in Geneva, hair in the wind, bright smile, to receive an award at the Summit for Democracy and Human Rights. What does the veil represent to him? Why did she decide to take such risks by participating in the “white Wednesdays” movement? What criticisms does she make of certain European women politicians? Considered by the BBC as one of the 100 most inspiring women in the world,
Shaparak Shajarizadeh is The Saturday Guest of La Libre.be.