Iran’s Police: removing the veil prohibited
WANA (Apr 15) – Iran has announced it will implement the surveillance program announced by the chief of police today April 15th in a bid to reduce the number of women ditching the hijab in public.
The program is for the use of surveillance cameras to identify those breaking the hijab laws that obligate women to cover their hair among other measures.
Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran’s chief of police, said on April 8th that the police would monitor “public passageways, vehicles, and public spaces” for anyone violating the hijab laws. The violator will receive a warning from the police on their first violation and will be “dealt with by judicial courts” for any following violations.
An Iranian woman walks in a street amid the implementation of new hijab surveillance in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Radan said yesterday that “the cameras that monitor this violation do not have any errors, but if a person objects to the warning text message sent to her, this objection will be accepted for the first time.”
Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, spoke with a group of university students and their representatives today where he said the government is “searching for a solution with a cultural outlook.” Raisi added that “the enemy has plans to turn the matter of the hijab into a security matter, but the government will definitely plan to stop this from happening.”
WANA (Apr 5) – Iran is facing another wave of attacks on its hijab laws from western media and social networks. This comes after a viral video appeared to show a man throwing yoghurt at two uncovered women in a shop near the northeastern city of Mashhad. Authorities issued an arrest warrant against the […]
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WANA reporters describe they saw a larger police presence throughout Tehran but did not witness any direct warning from police to unveiled women, as opposed to the former “morality police” method. In the new plan, policemen will not directly warn or arrest women who don’t obey the Islamic hijab in the streets.
Iran’s police forces stand in a street amid the implementation of new hijab surveillance in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Based on the same reports, the number of women who observed the Islamic hijab seems to have increased compared to previous days. Of course, there continue to be young girls and middle-aged women who appear throughout the city without an Islamic veil.
There has been internal opposition to this measure within Iran’s own Islamic parliament as well. Despite the repeated emphasis by the government on maintaining the mandatory hijab law and confronting those who do not comply, a number of Iranian women still wander the streets without a hijab.
Iranian women walk in a street amid the implementation of new hijab surveillance in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
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