Politics Iran's police: zero tolerance for women's dress code

Even after the election of moderate President Massud Pesechkian, Iran's police are sticking to strict controls on women if they do not follow the strict dress code.

"Nothing will change, because compliance with the Islamic dress code is not only the law, but also part of our religious duties," said police deputy chief Ghassem Resaei, according to the Isna news agency.

Accordingly, the police will not show any tolerance, will continue to follow their line and will not be influenced by changes of government or "new political waves".

The sometimes violent controls on dress codes have been the subject of fierce criticism at home and abroad in recent months. They were also one of the main issues in the presidential election campaign. The eventual winner, Peseshkian, also criticized the controls imposed by the moral guardians and promised women that these would be stopped immediately.

However, it seems doubtful whether the moderate Peseschkian will be able to assert himself in this respect. On the one hand, he has the powerful clergy against him, for whom the dress code is an important part of Islam. On the other hand, the parliament, which is dominated by hardliners, has been working for months on a draft law that would impose an even tougher approach and draconian punishments for violations of the Islamic dress code.

Women without a headscarf are already given an initial warning. If they fail to heed the warnings, they are arrested and taken to a police station.

Since the women's movement began in September 2022, moral guardians have been enforcing the dress code more strictly. The protests were triggered by the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the morality police because a few strands of hair were visible under her headscarf. She later died in police custody.

SDA