In Iran, the issue of mandatory dress codes for women has been a long-standing one, with many women feeling oppressed and restricted by these laws. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of women who are openly defying the compulsory dress code, leading to a stern warning from Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. According to reports in Iranian media, Mr. Ejei has threatened to prosecute women who appear in public without a veil, without any leniency. This statement follows a reinforcement of the mandatory hijab law by the Interior Ministry on March 30. Under Iran’s Islamic Sharia law, women are required to compulsorily cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes that conceal their figures. Violators face fines, public rebuke, and even arrest. Despite the risks, videos of women resisting the morality police have been widely shared on social media.
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Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has issued a stern warning following an increasing number of women who are openly defying the mandatory dress code in Iran. According to Iranian media reports on April 1, Mr. Ejei threatened to prosecute women who appear in public without a veil, without any leniency.
This statement comes after the Interior Ministry released a statement on March 30 reinforcing the government’s mandate on the controversial hijab law. Mr. Ejei was quoted by several news outlets saying that “Unveiling is tantamount to enmity with (our) values” and that anyone who commits such an act will be punished and prosecuted without mercy. However, he did not specify what the punishment would be.
Iran’s judiciary chief has threatened to prosecute women who appear in public without a veil, without any leniency, according to Iranian media reports on April 1.
This warning comes after an increasing number of women have been defying the compulsory dress code in Iran. The Interior Ministry statement on March 30 reinforced the mandatory hijab law of the government. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted by several news sites, saying that “Unveiling is tantamount to enmity with (our) values” and anyone who commits such acts will be punished and prosecuted without mercy. However, he did not specify what the punishment would be. Mr. Ejei, who is the Chief Justice of Iran, also stated that law enforcement officers were obligated to report any abnormality against religious law and obvious crimes that occur in public to judicial authorities.
In recent months, an increasing number of Iranian women have stopped wearing their veils after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police last September. Her alleged violation of the hijab rule led to her detention. The government had to use violence to quell the nationwide revolt that occurred after her death.
OPEN DEFIANCE BY BRAVE IRANIANS
Despite the risk of arrest for violating the compulsory dress code, hundreds of thousands of women in Iran can be seen without veils in malls, restaurants, shops, and on the streets. Videos of women resisting the morality police have been circulating widely on social media.
According to Iran’s Islamic Sharia law, implemented after the Iranian revolution, women are required to compulsively cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes that conceal their figures. Those who violate this law have faced fines, public rebuke, arrest, and sometimes capital punishment as well. The Interior Ministry issued a statement on March 30, describing the veil as “one of the civilizational foundations of the Iranian nation” and “one of the practical principles of the Islamic Republic.” The statement emphasized that there would be no tolerance regarding this law and that defying this law will be met with an iron hand.
