Operators of Several Instagram Beauty Pages in Zanjan Summoned; Intensification of Suppression of Individual Freedoms in Iran

As pressure intensifies regarding mandatory hijab in Iran, the Cyber Center of the Zanjan Police Information Organization has referred the operators of six Instagram pages active in women's beauty salons and bridal dress boutiques to judicial authorities. These six Instagram pages, including 'Afrosha Bridal Salon', 'Elnaz Reyhani Beauty Salon', and 'Romina Kheybari Makeup', have been accused of 'publishing inappropriate images' and have tens of thousands of followers. The Islamic Republic government in Iran presents mandatory hijab and governmental prohibitions in the realm of individual and social freedoms as 'norms' and punishes non-compliance under the pretext of 'norm-breaking'. According to the announcement from the Cyber Center of the Zanjan Police Information Organization on Thursday, May 20, this action is part of the implementation of the 'Noor' plan for enforcing mandatory hijab. This law enforcement agency has stated that the identities of the operators of these Instagram pages have not been disclosed, but they have been summoned and introduced to judicial authorities after 'removing criminal content'. The total number of followers of these six Instagram pages in Zanjan is reported to be 62,000. In contrast, the total number of followers of the official media channel of the Islamic Republic's Police Command on 'Eitaa', a state-supported social network, does not even reach 60,000. Recently, an official from the Islamic Republic Police announced the entry of 'Public Security Police' into cyberspace 'in line with the implementation of the Noor plan'. Kiumars Aziz, the police chief of western Tehran province, on Monday, April 3, cited 'the publication of inappropriate and norm-breaking images' as the reason for blocking 21 popular pages in cyberspace and threatened users with repercussions, claiming to monitor social networks and cyberspace 'continuously'. The punitive actions of law enforcement and judicial authorities against beauty and makeup activists, especially under the pretext of 'norm-breaking' on Instagram, have a history. The police chief of Bushehr province announced in January 2023 that actions had been taken against 27 Instagram beauty pages. Prior to that, the police chief of Mazandaran announced in November 2022 the implementation of an operational plan to confront 'promoters of bad hijab' in cyberspace and the identification of 302 individuals labeled as 'anti-cultural promoters' in Babol. The strict enforcement of mandatory hijab regulations in Iran intensified following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Guidance Patrol and the subsequent nationwide protests. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in his Eid al-Fitr prayer speech on Wednesday, April 22, 2023, issued a new command to the 'commanders of virtue', whom he had previously described as 'fire at will', asking them to 'confront religious norm-breaking'. Hours after Khamenei's directive, the police announced the implementation of a plan to combat women's optional dress starting Saturday, April 25. Since that day, the Islamic Republic has deployed its government forces and plainclothes agents in the streets of various cities in Iran, but despite widespread arrests, civil resistance continues. The intensification of strictness regarding mandatory hijab has been met with widespread criticism from human rights organizations. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also, in May, issued a statement referring to the escalating repression of women and girls in Iran due to 'defiance' of mandatory hijab laws, calling for more sanctions against Islamic Republic officials, including security officials. Continued judicial actions against social media activists; a woman active on Instagram was arrested in Isfahan. The police chief of Bushehr province: actions were taken against 27 Instagram beauty pages. The Gilan Police Information Organization blocked several Instagram accounts under the title of 'norm-breaking activities'. The blocking of 21 popular Instagram pages; restrictions on individual freedoms in Iran are intensifying.