Domestic Media Report: Mandatory Hijab is Only Enforced 'In Front of Officers'

A domestic media outlet reported that the presence of morality police in the streets under the 'Noor Plan' has only allowed officers to temporarily control the situation regarding mandatory hijab compliance in areas where they are present. The report from 'Ensaf News', published on Sunday, May 13, highlights that individuals only comply with the mandatory hijab 'in front of officers' and revert to their previous state afterward. The media outlet noted that 'morality police are present for only a few hours a day in less than 5% of areas.' The report included images showing women without mandatory hijab in places such as an art gallery, a shopping center, and cafes and restaurants. Ensaf News also pointed out that in Ashrafi Esfahani Street in Tehran, near a police station where morality police vans are parked, women's attire is 'diverse'. A new wave of 'violent confrontations' with women and girls over mandatory hijab has resumed about four weeks ago, aiming to reinstate the morality police in the streets of Iran. This initiative, called the 'Noor Plan', is described by Abbasali Mohammadian, the head of the capital's police, as the 'cornerstone' of police missions, implemented following statements from Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. However, the severity of police and plainclothes officers' actions against women opposing mandatory hijab has even drawn protests from some supporters of the Islamic Republic. Amnesty International, on May 7, released a letter referring to reports from women about their arrest experiences, stating that Islamic Republic officers use tasers during arrests, and women face unfair trials, vehicle confiscation, or fines. The human rights organization called for an end to the Islamic Republic's 'war' against women, the repeal of the mandatory hijab law in Iran, and the unconditional release of all those detained for not complying with the mandatory hijab. Although the Supreme Court has ruled that confiscating personal vehicles for not adhering to the mandatory hijab is illegal, daily notifications are sent for thousands of vehicles in Iran for this reason, leading to personal vehicle confiscations. Aside from the hassle of retrieving vehicles and the costs imposed on individuals, there are also many reports of mistakenly sent notifications regarding hijab violations, resulting in vehicle confiscation, with seemingly no accountability. Morteza Hosseini, a mid-level representative and member of the Internal Affairs and Councils Commission of the Parliament, recently shared his experience visiting a police office, stating that the number of confiscated vehicles belonging to 'unveiled' women was so significant that it seemed like 'a massive conference or gathering' was taking place. In response to the implementation of the 'Noor Plan', he told ILNA that the issue of hijab cannot be resolved through coercive force and arrests, and that such actions have led the country into 'crisis, tension, and unrest' in previous years, causing 'human and financial losses'. Following the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, months of street protests erupted in cities opposing the Iranian regime, which human rights organizations claim resulted in the deaths of hundreds.