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rferl.org – Iran will reportedly resume so-called morality police patrols aimed at enforcing the country’s laws on women wearing head scarves, or hijab.
Iranian police spokesman Saeed Montazerul-Mahdi said on July 16 that the patrols will crackdown on those wearing “extraordinary clothing” in public and who “insist on breaking the norms.”
The statement came amid a flurry of unconfirmed social media posts regarding purported sightings of police vans patrolling several Iranian cities.
Police arrested actor Mohammed Sadeghi after he posted a video in response to another online video showing a woman being detained by the morality police. “Believe me, if I see such a scene, I might commit murder,” he said.
The website of the semiofficial Hamshahri daily newspaper, which is affiliated with the Tehran municipality, said he was arrested for encouraging people to use weapons against the police.
The morality police patrols were suspended following months of unrest after the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation. Amini’s family has said his daughter had no history of health problems and was beaten during her detention.
At least 500 people were killed in the unrest, and tens of thousands were detained. On May 17, the head of Iran’s judiciary announced that about 90,000 protesters had been pardoned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests have been seen as one of the biggest threats to the Islamic government since it took power in 1979 as the unrest tapped into broader discontent over government corruption, economic mismanagement, and oppression.
Earlier this month, Iranian authorities stepped up pressure on commercial and recreational venues, shutting down dozens of cafes, restaurants, and other businesses for purportedly failing to enforce the head-scarf laws on their premises.
Closures were reported in Tehran, Islamshahr, Eshtehard, Parand, Rasht, and Motel Qu.
The hijab was made compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move triggered protests that were swiftly put down by the government. Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.
In the face of unrest, some religious and government figures have repeatedly advocated for a tougher stance by the government against offenders, even going as far as encouraging a “fire at will” approach against noncompliant women.
