Iran’s morality police are back on the charge. Since Sunday, police checks have returned to the streets of the Islamic Republic, after the state authorities announced a new campaign to ensure that women comply with the dress code, especially regarding the use of the veil or hijab.
The controversial return of the morality police comes ten months after the death of Mahsa Amini. The young woman died in September at the hands of this same police force because she was allegedly not wearing the veil properly. The assassination shocked the entire country and triggered a wave of historic demonstrations that ended with more than 500 protesters killed and almost 20,000 arrested.
With the outbreak of the protests in September, the morality police stopped being on the streets. Since the beginning of the year, the demonstrations have been deflating and it is now that the Iranian Government has decided to tighten the dress regulations with the deployment of police patrols.
The purpose of the checks, according to the Iranian police force, is to “expand public security” and “strengthen the pillars of the family”. Goals that are part of the “Support to the culture of hijab and chastity” project approved by the Government.
“The police will warn and punish, through patrolling vehicles and on foot, people who unfortunately disobey orders and continue to disobey the dress code,” warned Saeed Montazerolmahdi, a spokesman for the Iranian police.
This results in the arrest of women who do not wear the veil in public. “Everyone, especially the intelligent women of Iran, on whom the future of this country depends, is expected to help social cohesion and the general safety of society by maintaining the sanctity of the veil and respecting accepted norms ”, emphasized the same spokesperson.
Although Iranian women are required to wear the veil, in recent months many have not been complying with the regulations, especially in large cities such as Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic.
In response to violations, the government crackdown continues, with measures such as closing businesses of those who do not comply with the regulations and installing cameras on the streets to track down women who break the law.
In recent days, the morality police have arrested several young people for going against what the Iranian authorities have dictated. On Saturday night, Mohammed Sadeghi, a young and little-known actor, was arrested for “encouraging the public to use weapons against the police”, according to the official newspaper Hamxahri, when the actor had only shown his dissent in a video with the police actions carried out.
Another example of the repression promoted by the Iranian authorities is the announcement, yesterday Monday, of the closure of a network of educational centers to “encourage” students to participate in the demonstrations for the death of Mahsa Amini. “This institution has directed and incited riots during the preparation of exams,” said Ahmad Mahmudzaddé, head of the Organization of Private Schools in Iran. The center, Insitut Gaj, is one of the main educational institutions in the Central Asian country.
The Iranian regime defends the return of the morality police and reaffirms that the measures taken are intended to “maintain morality” and “Islamic values” in the Islamic Republic.
