Swiss envoy to Iran under fire for wearing hijab

Switzerland's ambassador to Iran on Thursday faced accusations of betraying the women-led protest movement after she wore an all-enveloping black Islamic dress on a visit to a holy shrine alongside clerics in the country.

The Swiss foreign ministry responded to the criticism by defending ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano, who they said was dressed in line with the protocol to visit the holy site.

Iranian media published images of Lozano dressed head-to-toe in black with a full headscarf alongside turbaned clerics during a visit to the holy shrine city of Qom.

Lozano's visit came more than five months into the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict dress code for women.

 Shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian women became obliged to cover their heads and bodies. Since then, Iran's authorities consistently refused to change the dress code rules.

Abolishing the obligatory headscarf law is among the demands of the protestors, who call for the removal of the Islamic theocracy ruling the country.

"Swiss ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano wears a chador and goes to a mosque with the mullahs," said Belgian lawmaker Darya Safai, who has played a prominent role in rallies in Europe supporting the protest movement in Iran.

"While millions of Iranian women are fighting for women's rights and knowing that thousands have been killed for it, she wears a hijab and makes publicity for the oppressors. Disgusting!" Safai said on Twitter.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Iranian-British actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi said that "The Swiss ambassador in full conservative religious covering, while brave Iranian women risk everything for freedom, is exactly what you should not do."

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American activist living in the US, said the ambassador's dress choice was "shameful and a betrayal to Iranian women."

But the Swiss foreign ministry told AFP that "during the visit to the religious site, the applicable dress protocol for women was followed."

"Interfaith dialogue is of great importance in the current context," added the ministry.

Foreign women, including dignitaries, are not exempt from Iran's dress rules and how to wear the headscarf has long been a dilemma for visiting VIPs.

"If you don't normally wear a head covering by choice, at least avoid publicly documented displays of doing so while Iranian women are risking everything for the right to choose," said Boniadi on Twitter.

The ambassador of Switzerland is an especially important figure considering that in Iran, the Swiss embassy handles the interests of the US. The latter has had no diplomatic relations with the Islamic republic since the aftermath of the revolution.