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Iran wants to punish women without headscarves more severely

With this loose-fitting headscarf, this Iranian woman could get into trouble with the morality police.

(Bild: AFP)

Shortly after the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the police in Iran have announced that they will take tougher action against violations of the controversial dress code. The authorities are also checking social media to see whether women are wearing headscarves.

The police announced on Wednesday that they would be taking tougher action in accordance with their "legal duties", as reported by the Mehr news agency. From Saturday onwards, violations such as the headscarf requirement will be punished more severely during nationwide checks.

Fewer checks since fall 2022 
All citizens, but especially girls and women, are called upon to adhere to the "moral values" and "religious norms of society", the statement continued. It was initially unclear to what extent the police in Iran now want to carry out checks. Since the mass protests led by women in the fall of 2022, the notorious morality watchdogs have been less strict - partly because they experienced more resistance.

Headscarves must also be worn in cars
Instead, the security authorities have stepped up video surveillance of violations. For example, cars belonging to women who had been caught several times driving without a headscarf were arrested. The authorities also tracked violations online, which generally include pictures of women without headscarves on Instagram. Stores and restaurants whose customers disregarded the dress code were closed by order.

Since the fall of 2022, more and more Iranian women have been ignoring the strict dress code. Religious hardliners are trying to fight this. A new law provides for draconian punishments. The reform has already been passed by parliament, but has still not come into force. In the coming weeks, a revised version is to be resubmitted to the so-called Guardian Council, an arch-conservative supervisory body.

(Bild: AFP )

Death of Iranian woman in police custody leads to protests
The protests were triggered by the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini. Moral guards had arrested the young woman because of an allegedly ill-fitting headscarf. An expert commission commissioned by the UN came to the conclusion that physical violence after the arrest led to her death.