Iran morality police behind detention of Mahsa Amini ‘shut down’, official says
Iran’s attorney general has said the morality police, the force which detained Mahsa Amini and enforces the country’s dress code has been “closed”.
Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was cited by the Iranian Labour News Agency saying that the force had been disbanded.
Iran’s Interior Ministry, which is the authority in charge of the morality police, has yet to comment on the status of the force.
Mr Montazeri was quoted saying: “The same authority which has established this police has shut it down”, adding that the morality police was not under the judiciary’s authority, which “continues to monitor behavioural actions at the community level”.
The morality police was sanctioned by the UK following the death of Ms Amini, 22, who died in police custody after she was detained for allegedly not properly covering her hair with a headscarf – known as the hijab – which is mandatory for Iranian women.
The force has also gained criticism for its violent crackdown on the subsequent nationwide protests following Ms Amini’s death.
The activist HRANA news agency said 470 protesters had been killed as of Saturday, including 64 minors. It said 18,210 demonstrators were arrested and 61 members of the security forces were killed.
Iranian actresses, activists and protesters have posted pictures without wearing the hijab in solidarity with the anti-government demonstrations.
On Sunday, protesters called for a three-day strike this week as they seek to maintain pressure on authorities over Ms Amini’s death.
Protests are planned on the day President Ebrahim Raisi is due to address students at Tehran University on Wednesday.
Iran says reviewing mandatory headscarf law
Following the widespread unrest, Mr Montazeri said Iran is reviewing the law that requires women to cover their heads.
Quoted by the ISNA news agency, Mr Montazeri said: “We are working quickly on the issue of hijab and we are doing our best to use a wise solution to deal with this phenomenon that hurts everyone’s heart.”
He added that a meeting has been held with the parliament’s cultural commission and results will be seen “within the next week or two”.
Top Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran would not change the Islamic Republic’s mandatory hijab policy, which
requires women to dress modestly and wear headscarves.
Elnaz Rekabi’s family home destroyed
In Iran, the family home of female Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, who competed abroad without wearing a hijab, has been demolished.
Iran’s official judiciary news agency, Mizan, said on Saturday that the destruction of her brother’s home was due to its ”unauthorised construction and use of land” and took place months before the climber competed at an international rock climbing competition in South Korea.
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However, anti-government activists say the demolition was targeted. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the demolition.
The 33-year-old did not wear a mandatory headscarf required of female athletes from the Islamic Republic at a competition in October. A later Instagram post attributed to the athlete, described her appearance without a hijab as accidental – although it was not clear whether she wrote it.
The Iranian government routinely pressures activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights groups describe as coerced confessions on state television.
