Government's Stance on Mandatory Hijab Enforcement; Police Official: Change of Government Will Not Affect 'Noor Plan' Implementation

Continuing the Islamic Republic's pressure to restrict individual and social freedoms of women, the deputy commander of the police emphasized that the 'Noor Plan' is non-negotiable and that changes in government will not disrupt its implementation. Qassem Rezaei, the deputy commander of the Islamic Republic's police, speaking at a security council meeting in Qazvin province, stated that 'we have a legal obligation and a religious duty in the area of chastity and hijab' and that 'the Noor Plan is non-negotiable' because, according to him, 'one cannot suspend the enjoining of good and forbidding of wrong, which are branches of religion.' He noted that 'laws do not have the necessary deterrent effect,' which he claimed 'questions the authority of the police,' adding that the 'revolutionary parliament' must pursue this matter 'expeditiously' and 'laws must be enacted that have the necessary deterrent effect.' The deputy commander acknowledged that such deterrent laws regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab are 'undoubtedly one of the lasting aids to the Islamic Republic system,' reiterating the importance of implementing the 'Noor Plan.' The deputy commander's emphasis on the ineffectiveness of government changes in executing the 'Noor Plan' confirms the statements of economist Hossein Raghfar, who previously stated that there are two governments in the Islamic Republic: one 'has weapons and force' and its actions affect people's livelihoods, while the other 'has no power.' Furthermore, with the implementation of the so-called 'Noor Plan' since the beginning of this year, the presence of government forces to confront women's voluntary dress in the streets of Iran has intensified instead of the 'morality patrols.' In recent weeks, the Associated Press reported from Tehran that as the 'elections' for the presidency approach, tensions regarding the suppression of women under the pretext of mandatory hijab have escalated. According to this report, police vans reportedly patrol the main squares and intersections of Tehran every afternoon, searching for women with loose scarves and those who dare to go uncovered. Earlier, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated on June 19 that he continues to receive reports of violent crackdowns, including widespread arrests of women and girls in Iran for not adhering to mandatory hijab. In his report to the fifty-sixth session of the Human Rights Council, he referred to the Islamic Republic's new actions in enforcing hijab laws, stating that with the 'Family Support Bill through Promoting Chastity and Hijab Culture,' more deterrent and punitive measures will be imposed against women and girls. Reports indicate that a woman in Mazandaran was shot by Islamic Republic agents for 'mandatory hijab,' and she is currently in a coma. Article 19: The Islamic Republic will continue its digital crackdown during the presidency of Medhi Khamenei. The permit for the mourning committee in Karaj was revoked after girls without mandatory hijab were seen performing chain-beating on Ashura. Panahita Bahram was banned from teaching and activities by the Ministry of Culture. There is an increase in pressure on political prisoners and civil activists in Iran; Sepideh Rashno was summoned to serve her prison sentence. In the first three months of the past three years, 85 femicides were recorded; the newspaper Etemad reported that most of the killers are husbands. The mother of Leili Rashidi reported the confiscation of her daughter's passport, phone, and personal computer at the airport.