Khamenei Orders Action Against 'Religious Norm Violations'; Police Announce 'Chastity and Hijab' Plan Starting Saturday in Tehran

Hours after Ali Khamenei's directive during his Eid al-Fitr prayer speech regarding the necessity to confront 'religious norm violations' in society, the Tehran police announced that the so-called 'Chastity and Hijab' plan will be implemented starting Saturday. The Tehran police command claimed on Wednesday, April 22, that adherence to mandatory hijab by women is a 'public demand' and a 'legal duty', threatening that the 'Chastity and Hijab' plan will be pursued 'with greater seriousness' in all public places and that all citizens, especially girls and women, must respect the 'sacred boundaries of hijab and chastity'. They also warned that anyone who defies the hijab mandate and does not adjust their attire 'within the framework of legal values' will face severe consequences. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in his Eid al-Fitr prayer speech, issued a new command to the 'promoters of virtue', whom he had previously described as 'fire at will', urging them to 'confront religious norm violations'. While the Tehran police have linked hijab enforcement to the law, the Chastity and Hijab plan is still in limbo between the parliament and the Guardian Council and has not yet become a definitive law. Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, head of the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated on Wednesday regarding the latest status of legalizing the confrontation against women's dress freedom in the so-called 'Chastity and Hijab' bill that 'ambiguities had been raised by the Guardian Council regarding the bill, and we aim to finalize the amendments after the Eid al-Fitr holidays and send it to the Guardian Council'. Hassan Norouzi, vice president of the Legal and Judicial Commission, also commented on this bill, stating: 'The Chastity and Hijab bill underwent changes that the Guardian Council raised objections to, which need to be worked on in the commission, and I hope it will be finalized this time.' The 'Chastity and Hijab' bill, which was drafted last year in 9 articles by the judiciary and sent to the government and then to the parliament, increased to 72 articles after review in the parliamentary judicial commission and was then sent to the Guardian Council for approval and implementation without being presented in a public session with minimal approval. Many experts consider the provisions in this bill unprecedented in the history of Iranian legislation, and one of the main criticisms is the disproportion between crime and punishment as a legal principle.