Gradual Replacement of 'Honorary Police' for 'Basij' in Unobtrusive Citizen Inspections

The Social Deputy of the Police Command in Jiroft County announced in a statement that it is seeking to recruit 'Honorary Police' forces, a special plan by the NAJA police to employ unofficial personnel in patrol and hijab enforcement, to expand its activities in 'cultural, social, and media' fields. According to the Telegram page of the FaraJa police, these volunteers will be recruited in specialties such as photography, documentation, journalism, and advertising, which are skills necessary for performing a 'type of unobtrusive inspection' as per the duties of the Honorary Police. This announcement promises benefits such as priority in hiring and access to material and spiritual facilities for the volunteer forces. The Honorary Police will be employed in various sectors, including cultural activities, oversight as unobtrusive inspectors, border guarding, special units, and police stations. The recruitment call for implementing this plan on a small city scale can typically be seen as a pilot program before broader plans are executed. Previously, the government news agency Mehr reported that Mohammad Taghi Assar, the Deputy of Human Forces of the Police, stated regarding the recruitment and employment of Honorary Police that 'this police can use weapons based on the type of mission and specific training.' According to the duties of the Honorary Police, the women recruited in this plan have undergone special training to engage in relevant missions, including monitoring hijab and enforcing laws related to modesty and hijab. These individuals will accompany professional police in special missions and often bear responsibilities such as hijab enforcement and carrying out patrol missions to warn and detain women opposing mandatory hijab. Meanwhile, experts criticize the Honorary Police, which serves as a replacement for 'Basij forces,' viewing participation in such programs as reinforcing structures that jeopardize individual freedoms and social rights. A field study states that the Honorary Police plan, ostensibly introduced to enhance social participation and improve security, has effectively become a tool for expanding social control and exerting pressure on specific groups, including women. According to this research, this program, especially in the area of monitoring mandatory hijab, has created a context for the use of untrained volunteer forces in security and cultural activities, raising serious concerns regarding civil rights and individual freedoms. Experts argue that this plan faces serious criticism regarding legal transparency. Additionally, the similarity of the Honorary Police's functions to paramilitary forces such as the Basij indicates a tendency to expand informal social control networks. Responses to the new mandatory hijab decree; is life in Iran a punishment? Criticism and reaction from Masoud Pezeshkian regarding the modesty and hijab law: its implementation is not that simple. Amir Kabir's program: 'Martial law' is in effect at the University of Science and Research. A shift in Pezeshkian's style; rejecting responsibility towards women and confirming the rise in gasoline prices. Ejei's insistence on the notification and 'implementation' of the modesty and hijab law.