Global Briefs: Hijab police hunt women in Iran

Iran

On April 21, regime officials announced a new police agency to enforce rules against improper wearing of the hijab—an escalation of a yearlong crackdown against women in the Islamist nation. The rules, called “Noor” or “Light” in Persian, say all women must cover their heads in public or be flogged, fined, or jailed up to 10 years. Human rights groups recently verified videos of women and girls being dragged into vans by chador-clad women. Police arrested men who tried to interfere. Women have reported being beaten, tasered, and sexually assaulted, and authorities have forcibly closed businesses that failed to enforce the hijab rules. Women who travel without a hijab have had their cars confiscated. —Amy Lewis

Japan

To counter a widespread problem of overtourism, the resort town of Fujikawaguchiko will install a black mesh net to block the view of Mount Fuji at a popular photo spot. Work on the 66-foot-long barrier near a Lawson convenience store was set to begin in early May and is meant to deter overseas tourists who have ignored repeated warnings against overcrowding. The visitors regularly disturb a nearby dental clinic while taking photos of the convenience store with Mount Fuji in the background, according to an official from the town. In March, more than 3 million tourists entered the country, a record high. Japan has implemented other measures to tackle overtourism, including charging hikers a $13 fee to climb Mount Fuji and banning tourists from parts of Kyoto’s geisha district. Other countries have taken similar measures, including Austria and Italy, where day-trippers must now pay 5 euros (about $5.35) to enter Venice. —Joyce Wu

Hungary

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told attendees at a conservative conference in Budapest that upcoming European and U.S. elections offered a chance to defeat the “progressive world spirit” and end attacks on conservatives. Orbán urged his listeners at the Conservative Political Action Conference Hungary, held in late April, to usher in “an era of sovereignty” modeled on his success in Hungary. Orbán accused liberals worldwide of weaponizing government institutions to hold on to power. Police in Brussels recently closed a conservative conference there due to the “possibility of public disorder.” —Elizabeth Russell

Egypt

Suspected Islamist extremists set fire to the homes and stores of Coptic Orthodox Christians in the village of Al-Fawakher in the southern Minya Governorate on April 23. About 3,000 Christian families live in the village. The attack came after they received an official permit to build a church. Members started facing threats of violence shortly after the permit was issued, according to Inter­national Christian Concern. In a post on the social media website X, Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba Macarius said security forces brought the situation under control and detained the attackers. Macarius said state authorities will compensate victims. Christians make up the largest minority group in Egypt, an Islamic-majority ­country. —Onize Ohikere

Dominica

The island’s High Court of Justice has officially removed penalties against homo­sexual activity for the first time in almost three decades. The ruling, issued April 22, comes five years after an anonymous gay person sued the government and both Anglican and Methodist churches on the grounds of discrimination. The Sexual Offenses Act, adopted in 1998, sought to offer “greater protection to children and people with mental disorders” while allowing for the psychiatric treatment of convicted offenders. The United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS and other LGBTQ activist groups applauded the island’s decision as “a win for public health as well as for human rights.” Only five other Caribbean countries still outlaw homosexual relations. —Carlos Páez

Armenia

Tens of thousands marched by torchlight through Yerevan to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day April 24. During the event, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged his countrymen to “overcome the trauma” of the massacre of Armenians under Ottoman Turk rule in 1915. That statement came as Pashinyan seeks rapprochement with Turkey and a peace deal with Azerbaijan. But Pashinyan angered Armenians with a recent proposal to give Azerbaijan four villages abandoned in the wake of last year’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Caucasus Heritage Watch, historic churches and other Christian sites have been destroyed since Azerbaijan took over the territory. —Jenny Lind Schmitt