Shopkeeper Arrested in Shahroud for Resisting Morality Enforcement

The commander of the police force in Shahroud, Semnan province, announced the arrest of a shopkeeper in one of the shopping centers in Shahroud for resisting the enforcement of 'commanding good and forbidding wrong.' Alireza Shaeini stated that a citizen was assaulted by one of the shopkeepers while attempting to enforce 'the duty of commanding good and forbidding wrong' in a shopping center, which led to the shopkeeper's arrest. On October 20, images were published showing clashes between people and harassers and defenders of mandatory hijab in the 'Armitaj' shopping center, resulting in the arrest of one of the shopkeepers in the complex. In this context, the 'Ensaf News' website quoted the public relations officer of the 'Commanding Good' headquarters in Razavi Khorasan province, stating that those who caused the disturbance in this complex were 'affiliated with a civic organization' and had 'no connection to the Commanding Good headquarters.' The 'Shahrvand' website, affiliated with the 'Shargh' newspaper, reported on November 1 about the government's increasing crackdown on the right to choose and women's dress in Iran, noting that orders had been issued for plainclothes agents and Basij forces to stop and inspect vehicles. In August, a video circulated on social media showing a physical altercation between a man and a 'veiled woman' in Narenjestan, Shiraz, where the veiled woman harassed under the pretext of 'commanding good and forbidding wrong,' which led to a reaction from the man who was accompanied by two other women. Ultimately, after the man's arrest, he faced exile, flogging, and heavy fines. Iranian officials have consistently attributed civil protests and disobedience by citizens to 'enemies' or foreign media without providing evidence for these claims. In recent months, dozens of tourist sites, businesses, and medical centers across various cities have been shut down due to the presence of unveiled women. Additionally, Iran's police have implemented other measures, including vehicle confiscation, sending warning text messages, and identifying unveiled women through city-installed cameras and referring them to judicial authorities since April 15 of this year.