Iran is stepping up its crackdown on women who don’t wear a headscarf in public. Cameras would be installed in public places and roads for control and identification purposes, the police announced on Saturday in a statement distributed via the state media and the Mizan justice portal. Should women violate the dress code, they received a warning via SMS. They would also be informed about the possible penalties.
The police also called on business owners to ensure compliance with “social norms”. In Iran, even after the violent suppression of the protest rallies, women have been appearing in public without the mandatory headscarf for months as a sign of their resistance to the government. The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in mid-September. The vice squad arrested her for allegedly wearing her headscarf incorrectly. Under Sharia law, introduced in 1979 in the wake of the Islamic revolution, women are required to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to hide their figure. Violators face fines or arrest.
At the end of March, the Ministry of the Interior described the headscarf as “one of the foundations of civilization in the Iranian nation”. This will not be deviated from. The ministry urged citizens to confront unveiled women.