Morality police in Iran arrested a woman with uncovered hair. The attack was caught on camera

The Morality Police returned to the streets of Iran after less than a year of inactivity in July 2023. They are once again making sure that people follow the rules set by the authoritarian regime. It focuses on women, for whom it checks the correct veiling.

Ten months earlier, in September 2022, the arrest and subsequent death of twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amíniová started widespread anti-government protests. Demonstrations originally organized to suppress the rights of women and girls grew into the largest demonstrations against the authoritarian regime since 1979.

Last year, a sixteen-year-old girl also died after a clash with the morality police. The burning of scarves became a symbol of the protests. The Iranian government cracked down heavily on the demonstrations, with over 500 people killed and nearly 20,000 arrested, according to NGOs. Many were sentenced to prison terms, ten of them were executed.

A 16-year-old Iranian girl who was supposed to be attacked by the morality police in the subway has died

Foreign

At present, however, the protests have died down and the police are once again enforcing the wearing of headscarves. According to Iranian state media, the police are supposed to warn the women first and arrest them only if they refuse to conform to the rules.

Last year, Iran’s parliament also approved a draft law that tightens penalties for women and girls who violate strict dress codes. According to the bill, “improperly dressed” women face up to ten years in prison, similarly high penalties are also planned for promoting violations of the rules.