Arrests and TV confessions as Iran cracks down on women’s ‘improper’ clothing

Protests follow appearance of tortured' writer on state television, while human rights group warn forced confessions on the rise as hijab laws hardened

There were protests and condemnation last week after an Iranian woman who was arrested for defying newly hardened hijab laws appeared on state television to give what observers claimed was a forced confession as a result of torture.

Sepideh Rashno, 28, was arrested in July soon after footage of her being harassed on a bus over improper clothing", was circulated online.