Iran’s morality police are to resume controversial street patrols to enforce the dress code requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose clothing, 10 months after the death of a young woman in their custody triggered nationwide protests.
After the protests that erupted in Iran on September 16, 2022, following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini by morality police, it has been announced that the morality police, previously disbanded in December 2022, will be re-deployed nationwide starting from July 25.
Police vans are again patrolling the country’s streets looking for women who are not wearing the hijab “correctly”. Now, however, the vans and officers will not bear the name “morality police”, and patrolmen will be wearing body cameras.
Announcing the return of the patrols, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the Iranian police spokesperson, told Tasnim News that car and foot patrols would be conducted to respond to those who, according to him, have “extraordinary clothing” and “still insist on breaking the norms”.
In response to the announcement, “morality police” officers were spotted patrolling certain cities, especially the capital, Tehran, in marked vehicles. The decision is expected to be implemented nationwide from July 25.
Footage shared on Iran News Wire’s social media account shows the “morality police” attempting to detain a woman who was not wearing a headscarf.
The US office of the special envoy of Iran wrote on Twitter: “Concerned by reports that Iran’s so-called morality police are again cracking down to enforce mandatory hijab. It seems the regime has learned nothing from the protests. Women and girls everywhere should be allowed to wear whatever they want. Iranian conservatives regard the display of hair as licentious and provocative to men, although there is nothing explicit in the Qur’an that supports a compulsory ban.”
What happened?
Amini was taken into custody by morality police last September on the grounds that she didn’t wear her headscarf properly and tragically lost her life due to the blow she received during her detention.
Following Amini’s death in custody, protests erupted across the country and quickly spread nationwide. During the months of protests, at least 600 people, including 71 children, were killed by the Iranian police, dozens were executed, and at least 20,000 people were arrested.
In the aftermath of Amini’s killing and the massive protests that swept the country, the regime took a step back and disbanded the “morality police” in December 2022.