Violent Encounter of Guidance Patrol Raises Questions for Interior Minister

The head of the Women's Fraction in the Islamic Consultative Assembly has reported that a group of representatives will question the Interior Minister about the violent behavior of Guidance Patrol officers towards women. Parvaneh Salahshouri stated in an interview with ISNA that the questions will be submitted to the parliament's presiding board on Sunday, April 21. Salahshouri previously emphasized that "law enforcement officers have no right to use violence" and will pursue the incident involving the Guidance Patrol's treatment of a young woman. This statement followed the release of a video showing a violent encounter between a female Guidance Patrol officer and a woman whom she believed was not wearing appropriate hijab in a Tehran park. Following the video's release, Rahmani Fazli ordered a "comprehensive review" of this "unconventional" behavior, with a report due by Saturday, April 20. According to Iranian media, he, who is the deputy leader of the Islamic Republic's law enforcement, demanded "full accountability for the violations committed by the offender" and added that "the illegal actions of the officer will be swiftly reviewed in the area of law enforcement violations, and legal action will be taken accordingly." In a note addressed to the head of the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding law enforcement matters, Rahmani Fazli stated that "the limited actions of some forces outside their jurisdiction and the law undermine the efforts and hard work of all forces." While the Interior Minister of Hassan Rouhani's government described violent or "unconventional" actions in the Islamic Republic's terminology as "limited," many women shared their similar experiences on social media, particularly regarding verbal violence and the use of foul language by Guidance Patrol officers after the video's release. Following the video's release, some Hezbollah activists deemed it "planned" and "artificial." Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, also tweeted, "What justification does this behavior have? To what extent can an officer act even if insulted?" Ebtekar added, "I strongly condemn this behavior and will pursue it; such violent and un-Islamic actions are beneath any human being's dignity." Shahindokht Molaverdi, the special assistant to the President for Citizen Rights, also tweeted that "the release of the clip showing how police officers dealt with the issue of improper hijab and their methods of guidance further demonstrates the necessity of changing the approach of cultural and law enforcement institutions from obligation to belief, from promotion to deepening, from appearance to meaning, and from activity-centric to effectiveness, which were among the cultural programs of the eleventh government." Laya Janidi, the legal deputy of Hassan Rouhani, described the beating of a girl by Guidance Patrol officers as "contrary to various principles of the Constitution" and stated that these officers committed "criminal acts" including "assault on dignity, insult, and battery." On April 20, following the presence of the Interior Minister and the commander of law enforcement in the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the spokesman for this commission denied any connection between the violent encounter of the Guidance Patrol officer with a woman. Hossein Naqvi Hosseini stated, "This commission holds continuous and periodic meetings with security, supervisory, and political bodies, especially the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, and intelligence." This conservative representative added that "one of the law enforcement officers acted according to his duty and issued a warning, but officials supported a criminal who revealed her hijab, while they should adhere to their responsibilities in a religious society." However, while this parliament member described over 90% of law enforcement officers as "well-behaved," another parliament member questioned the performance of the Guidance Patrol and called for its "monitoring." Zahra Saei stated in an interview with ILNA, "The law enforcement must monitor the Guidance Patrol. Today, this patrol is not pleasant or positive for our new generation." According to Saei, "The Guidance Patrol has existed since the 2000s; they must conduct a survey to see if they have achieved their goals. Are their functions appropriate? Do they have a correct and positive feedback?" She also referred to the intentions of some parliament members regarding this issue from the Interior Minister, adding that "the law enforcement must explain two points: first, why did this incident happen, and how did it come to this point, and second, that a decisive and clear response is given to the offenders." The violent encounter of the police officer with this woman occurred shortly after Hossein Rahimi, the commander of Tehran's law enforcement, warned protesters against mandatory hijab that the police would have "no tolerance" in dealing with them. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also referred to protesters against mandatory hijab, known as the "Girls of Revolution Street," as "deceived" and described their movement as "humble" and a result of "the overwhelming propaganda of enemies and their exorbitant costs."