Tehran Prosecutor: Selling Clothes with 'Corrupt and Deviant Groups' Symbols is a Crime

The public and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran described the sale of clothes with designs and symbols attributed to 'corrupt and deviant groups' as a 'crime' and urged the police to collaborate with trade unions to shut down stores that have 'clear violations and crimes.' According to ISNA news agency, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated on Tuesday, July 27, during a meeting with officials from various trades that 'devout people are sometimes deprived of suitable choices for buying a manteau or appropriate clothing.' He added, 'Why should clothing promoting corruption and deviation be offered in the Islamic Republic, while trade unions express helplessness in confronting them?' He called for trade unions to apologize to the public for their 'lack of oversight' over commercial units. The Tehran prosecutor described the offering of 'clothes adorned with symbols of corrupt and deviant groups' as 'criminal.' He requested that the police, in collaboration with trade unions, take action to close commercial units that have 'clear and evident violations and crimes.' Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi also criticized the fact that 'hijab is being unveiled in restaurants, preventing devout people from using such places,' and called for the intervention of trade unions in these matters. In recent weeks, state media and some conservative outlets have strongly criticized manteaus with English words written on them and 'ripped' pants, declaring that the writings and designs on these manteaus are 'trivial and against Iranian culture.' Meanwhile, officials from the police's venues department and clothing trade unions in various provinces of Iran have reported the collection of these manteaus. Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the police spokesperson, also announced that these manteaus are being imported into the country 'illegally.' However, heads of some clothing unions have stated that these manteaus are produced in Iran based on foreign models.