Iran morality police resumes hijab enforcement

TEHRAN: Iran’s ‘morality police’ has resumed patrols as authorities reinforce the country’s mandatory hijab rules.

According to Iranian state media, the morality police will “issue warnings and then introduce to the judicial system people who unfortunately insist on their norm-breaking behaviour.”

The officers are tasked with warning women, and sometimes men, to correct the way they are dressed. This could range from ordering women to adjust headscarves to demanding a change of clothing to something that is more loose-fitting to adhere to conventions of modesty.

Women deemed to be breaching the code can be arrested and taken to ‘re-education facilities’ run by the police.

This news comes 10 months after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in police custody after being detained over an alleged dress code violation. Her death sparked mass protests across the country that lasted for months, during which morality police took a step back from the streets.

After the protests, Iranian authorities had refrained from confrontational methods of enforcing the hijab laws.

According to reports, the police instead started using surveillance cameras to identify hijab violators who were then given warnings, fines or sent to appear in court. People found to be in violation of the dress code while in their vehicles could have their cars impounded.

The hijab laws were imposed shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.