Approval of Additional Sections of the Plan to Support Promoters of Virtue

In the public session on Sunday, February 12, the Iranian Parliament approved sections of the plan to support promoters of virtue and preventers of vice, which had been criticized by the Guardian Council. According to Fars News Agency, during their new review, the representatives emphasized that the punishment for 'criminal acts' against 'promoters of virtue and preventers of vice' cannot be reduced or suspended. They also approved that 'in the execution of promoting virtue and preventing vice, one cannot violate the dignity, life, property, housing, job, privacy, and rights of individuals, except in cases permitted by law.' Based on previous parliamentary resolutions regarding this plan, common areas of apartments, hotels, hospitals, and vehicles are not considered private spaces. On Wednesday, October 16, despite government opposition, the Parliament had approved the general principles of the 24-article plan 'Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice.' The Guardian Council deemed 14 articles of this 24-article resolution to have 'issues and ambiguities.' Discussions regarding 'promoting virtue and preventing vice' intensified after a Basij member named Ali Khalili, who was injured in a street confrontation on July 25, 2011, died on April 4. Some Basij and Hezbollah forces claimed that his death was due to injuries sustained during the confrontation three years ago while 'promoting virtue and preventing vice.' The assailant of Mr. Khalili was sentenced to 'retribution' in the initial court ruling. In the Sunday session, representatives categorized 'promoting virtue and preventing vice' into 'heartfelt, verbal, written, and practical' levels. If this resolution is finally approved, 'verbal and written levels of promoting virtue and preventing vice' will be the responsibility of the people and the government, while 'the practical level in cases and limits set by laws will be solely the responsibility of the government.' This parliamentary resolution comes amid criticisms from human rights organizations and media against the Iranian government, linking the approval of the 'Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice' plan and statements from some prominent clerics to a series of acid attacks in Isfahan and assaults on women in Jahrom. Over 240 civil activists in Iran protested the acid attacks in Isfahan and the approval of the 'Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice' plan in a statement, viewing these actions as indicative of increasing violence against women and creating a safe haven for perpetrators of violence. Mohammad Reza Khabaz, a parliamentary manager from the presidential office, also opposed the promoting virtue and preventing vice plan in a public session on September 29, stating, 'Unfortunately, the issue of acid attacks has begun in one of the cities; we do not endorse bad hijab, but deterrent behavior leads to conflict and creates problems for society.' On Tuesday, November 6, 50 Iranian representatives wrote a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, protesting the connection made between the acid attacks in Isfahan and the approval of the 'Support for Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice' plan in Mr. Khabaz's remarks. Additionally, following reports about an individual named Saeed Beheshti Far attacking several women in Jahrom and injuring them with a knife, the Saham News website, close to Mehdi Karroubi, reported that Mr. Beheshti Far confessed during initial interrogations that he carried out these actions with the aim of 'preventing vice' after hearing statements from a prominent cleric who deemed 'spilling the blood of those with bad hijab permissible.' This was denied by Mohammad Reza Rezaei Kouchi, the representative from Jahrom in Parliament. In this context, the plan to support promoters of virtue was rejected by the Guardian Council, and the perpetrator of the attack on women in Jahrom was sentenced to death. The Basij and IRGC have become 'agents of promoting virtue and preventing vice.'