- Controversial patrols resume: Iranian police enforce hijab laws on women in public
- Backlash and nationwide protests: Death of Mahsa Amini prompted demonstrations and halted patrols
- Stricter enforcement and penalties: Non-compliant women warned and may face legal action
According to state media, Iranian police are resuming controversial patrols to ensure women adhere to dress codes and conceal their hair in public.
A spokesman announced on Sunday that the “morality police” will return to the streets to enforce Iran’s hijab laws.
Ten months after Mahsa Amini, a young woman imprisoned in Tehran for dress code violations, died in custody.
Her demise prompted nationwide demonstrations, and the patrols were halted.
However, Islamic extremists have demanded for some time that the patrols be resumed.
According to Iranian law, which is founded on the country’s interpretation of Sharia, women are required to cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf) and wear long, baggy clothing to conceal their figures.
The morality police unit is responsible for enforcing these rules and detaining individuals deemed to be “improperly” attired.
During the inspections, officers will first warn non-compliant women, according to police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi, as quoted by the extremist news agency Tasnim.
The police may opt for “legal action” if they disobey, he added.
Mahsa Amini, 22 years old, was detained by morality police and accused of wearing her hijab “improperly” while visiting Tehran with her family in September of last year.
She succumbed after being “educated” in a detention facility. Officers were accused of hitting Ms. Amini’s head with a baton and slamming it against a vehicle.
It infuriated millions of Iranians, resulting in months of violent anti-government demonstrations across the country in which nearly 600 demonstrators, including several state executions, were killed.
In the months following the protests, a significant number of women abandoned hijabs entirely. It was the most direct challenge to the clerics’ authority in Iran since the revolution of 1979.
Videos posted on social media suggest that the prevalence of women without hijabs has increased in recent years.
However, the Iranian authorities punished non-hijab-compliant enterprises by closing them.
Even though the protests attracted large numbers of Iranians, some individuals continue to staunchly support the severe dress code.
A man threw yoghurt at two unveiled women in a video earlier this year. Male and female bystanders were outraged by his actions, and he was subsequently arrested, as were the women.
Since the revolution, numerous types of “morality police” have existed in Iran. In 2006, this version, formally known as the Guidance Patrol (Gasht-e Ershad), began patrolling.
The force has weaponry, prison facilities, and “re-education centres.”
Last year, in response to Iran’s violent repression of demonstrators, the United Kingdom and other Western nations imposed sanctions on the morality police and other high-ranking security officials.
