Sadegh Larijani Supports Police Officer's Assault on 'Unveiled' Girl

Despite criticism from the Vice President for Legal Affairs and several members of parliament regarding the beating of a girl by a 'Guidance Patrol' officer, the head of the judiciary says that the police should not retreat even a single step. Sadegh Larijani stated on Tuesday, April 23, that 'no one should be allowed to resist the legal actions of the police or insult an officer.' He emphasized that 'the police must not retreat at all... because otherwise, nothing will hold together, and the path to the actions and authority of the police to ensure the country's security will be blocked.' He added, 'If some are to defy the police and attempt to politicize or socialize a cultural issue through polarization in society, it is absolutely unacceptable.' The release of a video showing a young girl being beaten by 'Guidance Patrol' officers sparked widespread protests and criticism from the Vice President for Legal Affairs and some members of parliament. For instance, Tayebeh Siavashi, a representative from Tehran, called the act 'regrettable' on Twitter, and Hamidreza Eshragh, the Deputy for Legal Affairs and Parliament of the police, described the officers' actions as 'a mistake' and stated that officers had been instructed to 'let go if there was resistance.' He also reported that the officer involved had been suspended from service. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Iranian Minister of Interior, also called for an investigation into the matter, but the Iranian police, while expressing regret over the incident, asked women to observe 'social decorum.' Meanwhile, Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the Women's Faction in parliament, called for a documented report on the results of the Guidance Patrol's 13-year performance. However, on Friday, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader in Mashhad, criticized the government's and parliament's reaction to the incident, stating, 'Ministers and representatives rush to say that an unveiled woman was insulted.' The Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, and the Kayhan newspaper also described the incident as 'planned' and 'artificial.' 'No one should question the presence of Iranian forces in Syria and Iraq,' the head of the judiciary said on Tuesday, adding, 'When the system reaches the conclusion that it must maintain the country's authority... by advising in Syria and Iraq, no one should question this policy of the system; rather, everyone should support and defend it in unison.' Iran's intervention in Syria and support for Bashar al-Assad has faced widespread criticism both externally and internally. Many participants in protests last December in over a hundred cities in Iran chanted, 'Leave Syria, think of us.' Farmers in Isfahan have also repeated this slogan in recent weeks in protest against severe water shortages in the province. Some political activists in Iran have severely criticized Qassem Soleimani and the Quds Force for their actions in the region, attributing the emergence of ISIS to 'the mismanagement of Qassem Soleimani.' For instance, political critic Mehdi Khazali stated in a video that if Soleimani had not been present in Syria, 'there would be no ISIS in Syria now.'