2024-04-14 08:54:34
Women in Iran will soon face increased controls and punishments for not wearing a veil. More and more Iranian women are ignoring the regulations.
The Iranian police have announced increased checks on uncovered women. In Tehran and other provinces, the police will “take action against people who encourage not wearing the veil,” the Iranian capital’s police chief, Abasali Mohammadian, warned on state television on Saturday. Women who have previously appeared uncovered are being “intensified under surveillance and persecuted.”
Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, women in Iran have been required to cover their hair in public. But more and more women are not adhering to this rule.
Amini died after being arrested
In September 2022, the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini sparked nationwide protests after her arrest for allegedly violating strict clothing regulations. The security forces took brutal action against the demonstrators; according to human rights activists, hundreds of people were killed and more than 20,000 demonstrators were arrested.
A few days ago, Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once again emphasized the obligation to veil for all women, regardless of their religion, in a speech. Khamenei complained about “the interference of foreigners,” especially from the West, who supported Iranian women’s refusal to wear veils.