Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami has warned that the resumption of Morality Police patrols in the streets of Iranian cities could pose a threat to the stability of the Islamic Republic.
"It appears that the peril of self-subversion, a topic of recurring discussion, is increasingly manifesting itself with the resumption of Morality Police patrols, alongside controversial police behavior, security measures and unconventional judicial rulings regarding social matters, particularly pertaining to women," Khatami said during a meeting with his advisors on July 17.
Pointing out that Iranian society is already shaken by huge tensions, he warned that the leadership’s continued inability to address social matters will cause further instability.
On July 16, police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi said that Morality Police are to resume street patrols to enforce the Islamic Republic’s dress code requiring women to cover their hair in public.
The announcement came 10 months after the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Morality Police for allegedly wearing a headscarf improperly.
Mahsa Amini’s death in September 2022 sparked months of anti-establishment protests across the country.
As authorities struggled to contain the women-led protest movement, the Morality Police largely pulled back from the streets while a growing number of women appeared in public without hijab in an act of defiance against the ideology and laws of the Islamic Republic.
However, defiant women were arrested, summoned by the authorities and prosecuted, with criminal courts issuing harsh sentences against the defendants. Hundreds of businesses were shut down for allegedly failing to enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress codes on their customers.
Interested in writing for IranWire?
Share your stories.
comments