Two Lawyers Request Cancellation of 'Confidential' Hijab Regulation; Interior Minister: Anyone Who Obstructs is a 'Criminal'

As criticism continues over the confidential regulation from the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab, two lawyers in Iran have asked the Administrative Justice Court to annul this regulation 'due to numerous legal flaws.' Meanwhile, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior, in statements regarding the controversial actions of government agents enforcing 'commanding good,' defended them by saying, 'Anyone who obstructs them is a criminal.' This threat comes as Hassan Younesi, a senior lawyer, wrote on the social media platform 'X' that he, along with his colleague Ali Mojtahedzadeh, and 'in hopes of fair adjudication and the absolute rule of law and ending arbitrary actions,' has requested the Administrative Justice Court to annul the confidential regulation from the Ministry of Interior regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab. This request comes at a time when Ahmad Vahidi has faced severe criticism for his comments about the 'spontaneous' nature of hijab enforcers in the metro. However, according to ILNA news agency, Vahidi claimed regarding the actions of 'commanding good' agents that 'they do not need any permits' and 'anyone who obstructs them is a criminal.' In further contradictory statements about issuing permits for hijab enforcers, the Minister claimed: 'Now some say you said we did not issue special permits,' yes, I said they do not need permits; they are authorized under the law supporting those who command good and forbid wrong; therefore, they do not need a permit from us in the Ministry of Interior.' Earlier, a political party in Iran accused Ahmad Vahidi of 'lying' for issuing a 'confidential' directive for the establishment of hijab enforcers. The Nedaye Iranians Party criticized Vahidi's 'dangerous innovation' in issuing a 'confidential' directive for the establishment of hijab enforcers and his 'lying' about it in a letter to the head of the judiciary. This reformist party asked Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, 'Which is a greater and more unforgivable sin, lying or being without hijab?' They also asked, 'Which undermines the foundations of a society like a termite and increases distrust more, the lying of a political official or a girl not wearing a shawl?' Following Ahmad Vahidi's claims of ignorance about how hijab enforcers operate in the metro, the Etemad newspaper published part of his 'very confidential' directive on this matter on Sunday, December 5. In this memo dated June 9 of this year, he called for the establishment of hijab enforcers in the metro to confront women without mandatory hijab. The publication of this document led the Tehran prosecutor to immediately file a complaint against the Etemad newspaper and initiate a legal case. Simultaneously, several media outlets and political and media activists have called for Vahidi's 'impeachment' and 'resignation' from the 'Ministry of Interior.' Mohammad Mahajeri, a political activist close to conservatives, called for the Minister's resignation in a note on his Telegram channel, stating: 'Mr. Ahmad Vahidi! The experience of the past two years has shown that you are not a man of politics, and the position of Minister of Interior has been a melon peel under your feet. Resign.' Behrouz Azizi, a journalist, also called for Vahidi's 'impeachment' by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating on X (formerly Twitter): 'If the revolutionary parliament were truly the house of the nation, it should have urgently impeached the Minister of Interior for this lie! Does someone who lies about a marginal issue like hijab have the competence to hold elections?' The Etelaat newspaper had previously written on Tuesday, December 6, that 'the minister should not speak to his people about wrongdoing he has committed, especially in these times when the heavy burden of inflation and sanctions has bent the backs of Iranian families.' Recently, Amnesty International issued a statement calling mandatory hijab in Iran a tool for 'widespread and systematic violations of the human rights of women and girls' and criticized it. This organization urged countries worldwide to hold Iranian officials accountable for 'ordering, planning, and committing widespread and systematic violations of the human rights of women and girls' through the enforcement of mandatory hijab.