No fundamental relaxation
Iran’s regime is planning penal reforms for compulsory headscarves
According to a report, Iran is planning a penal reform for violations of the compulsory headscarf. As the reform-oriented newspaper “Shargh” reported on Thursday, the government has drawn up a corresponding draft.
HANDOUT – This photo provided by the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran shows a woman taking a picture during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei. Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa – ATTENTION: For editorial use only and only with full naming of the above credits
The planned reform of the incumbent hardliners does not mean any major changes or even a fundamental relaxation of the Islamic dress code.
According to information from the newspaper, the reform provides that women who violate the headscarf obligation should first be summoned. If they have not yet received a police entry, the accused can avoid punishment if they assure in writing that the offense will not be repeated. However, if there are already entries or if women refuse to sign, various penalties are threatened: According to the newspaper reports, the reform includes social hours, re-education courses, bans on leaving the country, employment restrictions and fines.
The author of the “Shargh” article criticizes that the law will not find public support. Iranians have been demonstrating against the repressive policies for more than three months. The trigger was the death of the Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. She died in mid-September after being arrested by the so-called vice police for violating the headscarf requirement. She became a symbol of the wave of protests that plunged Tehran into the worst political crisis in decades.
According to the newspaper, the moral guardians were no longer mentioned in the reform. For months now, the notorious morality police have almost completely disappeared from the streets, and many women in Iran’s metropolises no longer wear headscarves. Again and again there are reports that the authorities want to follow the dress code in the future with modern surveillance technology.
(SDA)