CNN
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A senior Iranian official said the country’s mandatory hijab law was being reviewed as state media downplayed the same official’s claim that the much-feared morality police force had been “abolished” amid ongoing protests. He said that
Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said Thursday that Iran’s parliament and judiciary are considering a law that would require women to wear hijabs in public.
Montazeri was also quoted as saying on Saturday that Iran’s morality police had been “abolished,” but Iran’s state media strongly rebuffed those comments, saying the military is overseen by the Ministry of Interior, not the judiciary. rice field.
CNN has reached out to the Home Office for comment.
Iranian women are now obliged to wear the hijab in public, based on strict Islamic law enforced by the country’s so-called moral police. Masa, 22, who died in police custody after being arrested by morality police for not wearing the hijab properly caused
Her death on September 16 touched the nerves of the Islamic Republic, with prominent celebrities including top Iranian actor Taraneh Alidusti coming out to support the movement.
The country has been caught in a wave of mass protests first sparked by Amini’s death, and has since rallyed various grievances against the regime. Authorities have launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, with reports that forced detention and physical abuse were used to target the country’s Kurdish minority group.
A recent CNN investigation found secret testimony of sexual violence against protesters, including boys, in Iran’s detention centers since the riots began.
Regarding the hijab law, Montazeri was reported by state media ISNA on Thursday to say: [women] Without a hijab in cities, do you think officials are silent about it? For example, yesterday we had a meeting with the Congressional Cultural Committee and we will know the results next week. Or two.
However, there is no evidence to suggest any future changes to the law, which came into force after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
CNN has heard testimony from women who say they have experienced sexual violence by the Iranian regime.
In a separate statement on Saturday, according to state media, Montazelli said in response to a reporter’s question about whether the moral police would be disbanded. Discontinued from the same place where it was started. Of course, the judiciary will continue to monitor the behavior of society. ”
Arabic-language Al Alam state television claimed that foreign media portrayed Montazeri’s comments as “the Islamic Republic’s retreat from its stance on the hijab and religious morality as a result of the protests.” His comment was that the moral police are not directly related to the judiciary.
“However, officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran have not said the guidance patrols have been closed,” Al-Alam said on Sunday afternoon. “Some foreign media are interpreting these words of the Attorney General as saying that the Islamic Republic is backing down on issues of hijab and modesty, and are trying to blame it on the recent riots.”
Montazelli’s remarks were made at Qom, which is considered a holy site for Siha Islam.
