Tehran Police Information Center Denies Commander’s Claim About Arrest of Snap Driver

While the commander of Tehran's police force announced that an internet taxi driver from Snap was arrested following a "physical altercation" with a young female passenger, the head of the police information center denied this news, stating that the case is "under investigation." The newspaper Hamshahri, affiliated with the Tehran municipality, reported on Wednesday, September 8, citing Abbas-Ali Mohammadian, the commander of Greater Tehran Police, that "the 33-year-old internet taxi driver has been arrested and investigations are ongoing." Meanwhile, the same newspaper reported, citing Babak Namakshenas, the head of the Tehran police information center, that this news was "denied" and stated that "the case is being pursued and is in the investigation stage." According to a video circulated on social media, a Snap driver, while getting out of the car and removing the steering lock, forcibly drags a young female passenger out and beats her. The published image shows that the passenger, while defending herself, is not wearing the mandatory hijab. The legal group "Dadban," which monitors reports of human rights violations in Iran, tweeted with the video that "a driver acting as a vigilante attacked a female passenger for not wearing the mandatory hijab with a steering lock." However, the commander of Greater Tehran Police stated that the "dispute and altercation between the driver and the passenger" is not related to "enjoining good" and that "their argument was over turning on the car's air conditioning." Mohammadian also mentioned that with the young woman's complaint at Police Station 127 in Narmak, "legal actions" have begun and the driver has been "arrested," but the head of the police information center denied the arrest of this driver. The conflict between internet taxi drivers and female passengers who refuse to comply with the mandatory hijab has a history; an action supported by media affiliated with the Islamic Republic. In recent months, following the nationwide protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, civil disobedience against the mandatory hijab in Iran has increased, and for several months, the presence of the morality police in the streets has diminished. Meanwhile, Islamic Republic officials have added other measures, including closing service locations and confiscating vehicles due to the presence of women without government-mandated hijabs, to their previous actions against women. Some experts have previously warned about the increase in urban conflicts due to pressure to comply with the mandatory hijab. For instance, Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer, stated that the approval of the "Chastity and Hijab" bill in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and its submission to the Guardian Council indicated that the implementation of this bill would practically increase the potential for urban violence in Iran several times over. Additionally, Tanaz Kolahchian, a legal expert, has stated regarding the "Chastity and Hijab" bill that even members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly preferred not to have their signatures on this bill. Previously, John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council at the White House, stated: "After the death of Mahsa Amini and the public protests, the people of Iran should now be able to make decisions for themselves and choose their own clothing." Furthermore, Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in response to a question from a reporter from the Persian section of VOA, stated that the Islamic Republic has not learned from recent protests.