According to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, the practice prepared to comply with the headscarf rules in the streets, businesses and cars has come into effect as of today.
It was stated that those who do not comply with the headscarf rule will be detected by security cameras, and a warning will be sent to their phones via text message, and legal action will be taken against those who do not heed the warning.
Making a statement on the subject, Deputy General Prosecutor of Iran Abdussamad Hürremabadi stated that those who violate the headscarf rules will be tried in the criminal court and there will be no way to appeal the court’s decisions.
Hürremabadi stated that the crime of inciting to wear the headscarf is much more serious than the crime of not complying with the headscarf rule and that the right to appeal will not be granted in case of conviction. For this reason, the courts are obliged to sentence those who in any way encourage others to wear the headscarf to the above-mentioned penalty.” said.
Demonstrations in Iran and the hijab requirement
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Emini on September 16, who was hospitalized after being taken into custody by the Irshad patrols known as the “morality police” in Tehran on September 13, 2022, sparked protests against the country’s government. It was announced that hundreds of people lost their lives during the demonstrations.
The protests that started after Emini’s death brought the demands for the relaxation of the compulsory headscarf law, which has been implemented since 1979, to the agenda again.
Ali Hanmuhammedi, the spokesperson of the Center for Enjoining Good and Preventing Evil in Iran, stated in a statement on December 5, 2022 that the duty of the Irshad patrols, which were the target of criticism, has ended, and that the headscarf application can continue “with more modern methods and technology.”
In this process, images of some women in the country not complying with the headscarf rules were featured on social media. However, the news that some businesses that were found not to comply with the compulsory headscarf law were closed, were reflected in the country’s media.
Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the other hand, in his speech on January 4, said that women who do not fully comply with the mandatory headscarf rules in the country should not be accused of “religion and opposition to the regime”.
In the statements made separately by the Ministry of Interior and the Judiciary, it was stated that action would be taken against those who violate the mandatory headscarf rule, and later it was stated that the cameras in the streets and avenues would be used for headscarf inspections.