Hundreds of Civil Activists Demand Removal of Barriers for Women's Attendance at Stadiums

As reports emerged about a call from the Ansar Hezbollah group for a "confrontation" against women's attendance at the Iran vs. USA volleyball match, 481 civil activists demanded the removal of "all existing barriers" for women's presence in "stadiums." According to a report on Tuesday, June 9, by the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, these civil activists emphasized in their letter to the Minister of Interior, Minister of Sports, and the Commander of the Police Force that allocating "a limited space for a minority of women" or "selective invitations for spectators" would not meet their "legitimate demands." The activists pointed out that the possibility for women to watch the June matches of the World Volleyball League remains "clouded in ambiguity." Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, announced on June 1 that the minutes for women's entry into volleyball halls had been signed by representatives of the Police Force, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and was awaiting the Minister of Sports' approval. However, Saeed Montazerolmahdi, the Police Force spokesperson, stated on Sunday, June 7, that "we have no notification for women's presence in stadiums, and the official authority for issuing permits is the Ministry of Interior; if it is issued, we will ensure their safety." Meanwhile, Hossein Ali Amiri, the Ministry of Interior spokesperson, commented on Wednesday, June 10, that the Ministry of Interior is "not responsible" for women's presence in sports halls, and the Ministry of Sports and Youth is "responsible in this area." As discussions about women's presence in sports halls continue, ILNA published an image of a statement from the Ansar Hezbollah group and clerics from the Ervani seminary, calling on people to gather on June 18 (the day of the Iran vs. USA volleyball match) in front of the 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium to combat "the immorality of loose women in society, especially in stadiums." These groups emphasized in their statement that they are "waiting for the bloody presence of the Hezbollah community" on June 18 to "confront women's presence in the stadium and to enjoin the authorities of the Ministry of Sports to prevent it." Meanwhile, the Ansar Hezbollah website also published a joint statement from "united Hezbollah groups" inviting people to gather on June 18. However, on the same day, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesperson, responded to a question about these statements by saying that the government does not allow gatherings on this matter. Iran is set to host the USA volleyball team at the Azadi Sports Hall in Tehran on June 18 and 20. The Iranian team will also host the volleyball teams from Russia and Poland in July. Last year, attempts by some women to watch volleyball matches between Iran and Brazil, as well as Iran and Italy, made headlines, and following the bans on women's attendance in sports halls, the International Volleyball Federation withdrew hosting rights for several international competitions from Iran. In this context, the World Volleyball Federation states that as long as women cannot attend stadiums, Iran has no right to host events.