Continuation of 'Illegal' Actions by the Islamic Republic; Missile Strikes Abroad, Harassment of Women at Home

One day after the Islamic Republic's missile and drone attack on Israel and simultaneously the commencement of the 'Noor Plan' to enforce mandatory hijab on women, the Islamic Republic's police command claimed in a new announcement that women are 'compliant with the laws of chastity and hijab.' Meanwhile, legal expert Mohsen Barahani emphasized that there is no law in this regard and that the police's behavior is 'illegal.' According to reports from government news agencies in Iran on Sunday, April 15, the police command claimed that women are 'complying with mandatory hijab' and 'cooperating' in the implementation of the so-called 'Noor Plan,' asserting that the execution of this plan is for the 'security and tranquility' of women and thanked those who 'comply with the laws of Islamic society.' Reports reaching Voice of America and published on social media indicate that police officers have been widely deployed in cities across Iran since Saturday to confront women who refuse to adhere to mandatory hijab and emphasize their right to choose their attire. For instance, a civil activist in Arak told Voice of America that since Saturday, 'male and female officers have been terrifyingly stationed throughout the city to enforce mandatory hijab.' According to her, 'from the morning of Saturday, all intersections and squares have been occupied by plainclothes officers and motorcyclists' who warn women and girls to comply with the mandatory hijab. A women's rights activist in Rasht also told Voice of America that police and plainclothes officers on Saturday created disturbances for citizens, especially interfering with their chosen attire, leading to confrontations with people in various parts of the city. Some videos published on social media confirm these encounters. Furthermore, the narratives shared by some citizens on social media indicate the repetition of this police behavior in other cities. For instance, Soudeh Ghaissari, a translator, recounted her experience of walking without a headscarf 'from Vanak to Sar-e Motahhari' in Tehran, stating that along the way 'no one bothered her' until 'at Sar-e Motahhari, a man in police uniform stopped her, questioning her hijab status, stating that hijab is the law and she must comply with it, or he would have to arrest her.' She noted that during the discussion, a young man was filming them, and after her repeated objections to the filming, the officer said, 'This man is my assistant and is doing his duty.' Soudeh Ghaissari also emphasized that the officials of the Islamic Republic 'are ultimately trying with all their might to force us to take our headscarves out of our bags again.' Additionally, Zeynab Zaman, a women's rights activist, stated that 'courage does not mean being unafraid,' asserting, 'Courage means continuing to fight despite the fear of threats.' She stressed that 'a woman who goes out without a hijab does not do so comfortably and easily,' but rather 'her heart races' and 'she is constantly waiting for something to happen to her,' adding, 'But she is unwilling to go out with a hijab, and that is true courage.' Despite the ongoing efforts of the police command to force women to comply with mandatory hijab under the guise of 'law,' Mohsen Barahani told Etemad newspaper that 'the National Security Council, the Headquarters for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the Headquarters for Hijab and Chastity, and the Minister of Interior are not lawmakers and cannot create legal rights and obligations for individuals, institutions, and shops.' He emphasized that 'no responsible individual can claim that based on the Ministry of Interior's announcement, the announcement from the Headquarters for Hijab and Chastity, or the announcement from the Headquarters for Promotion of Virtue, any action has been taken or will be taken,' and 'these headquarters do not have the authority to grant legal rights and legal competence.' Barahani stated that 'all actions taken regarding the hijab issue are illegal and should face legal consequences,' stressing that 'FARAJA (the Islamic Republic's police command) cannot confront what it deems illegal with its own illegal behavior and actions.' This legal expert also deemed the 'actions of the police' regarding the issue of non-compliance with the mandatory hijab, which includes measures such as text messages, vehicle confiscation, sealing, and preventing access to public places, as entirely illegal. Moreover, Moein Khazaeli, another legal expert, told Voice of America that there is no law in Iran that the police can cite to enforce mandatory hijab. Concurrently with the implementation of the so-called 'Noor Plan' for enforcing mandatory hijab on women and girls on Saturday, numerous reports of police confrontations with citizens were published. For instance, the Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced that Nafiseh Latifi and Negar Abedzadeh, the wife and child of former football goalkeeper Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, were temporarily detained for wearing optional attire. The police command in various provinces of Iran announced that one day after Ali Khamenei emphasized the need for increased pressure to enforce what he called 'adherence to Islamic standards,' strict measures for enforcing mandatory hijab would be intensified starting Saturday, April 15. Khamenei had previously described the removal of hijab as a return to the Pahlavi era, calling it 'a return to the disgraceful status of the Taghut.'