There is no official police confirmation that the troops are being taken off the streets and there is no sign that a law mandating compulsory hijab will be changed.
Tehran, Iran – Iran has suspended its morality police, Iran’s attorney general said, as protests in the country continue into the third month.
The protests erupted shortly after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by a vice squad in Tehran for allegedly not following the country’s mandatory dress code for women.
Speaking at an event on Saturday, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri outlined the “outlines of hybrid warfare during the recent unrest,” as Iranian officials describe alleged foreign influence in the unrest, and was quoted by local media as saying that morale police operations have ended.
The morality police “have no connection to the judiciary and were shut down by the same agency that started it in the past,” he said, reportedly answering a question about why the morale police was shut down.
There were no other confirmations that the work of the patrolling units – officially tasked with ensuring “moral security” in society – had ended. Nor did Montazeri say the morale police were indefinitely abolished.
In addition, there was no indication that the law mandating mandatory dress codes would be ended.
The forces drove around in white and green vans, mostly asking the women on the streets to fix their headscarves or taking them to so-called “re-education centers” when deemed necessary, but the vans were not found in Tehran or others cities seen lately.
In one of these centers, Amini apparently suffered a stroke, according to surveillance camera footage released by the authorities. She died in a nearby hospital after being in a coma for three days.
A final coroner’s report claimed she died of complications from underlying medical conditions, but her family suspected she was beaten.
Persistent restlessness
Women have featured prominently in the protests that began after Amini’s death, with her name and pictures widely publicized both inside and outside the country. Women have also burned their hats and cut their hair in protest and solidarity. “Woman, life, freedom” has become the rallying cry of the demonstrators.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States, Israel, European powers and Saudi Arabia of being behind the ongoing unrest and said they used Amini’s death as an “excuse” to attack the country and its foundations.
The hijab, which has been mandatory since shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is a key ideological issue for the Iranian authorities, who have repeatedly stated that they will not back away from it.
However, they recently signaled that they could revise the way the mandatory dress code will be implemented, without giving details.
A number of local officials have previously hinted at methods such as the use of artificial intelligence or camera footage to fine suspected offenders.
Drivers found to be violating the hijab rules are already receiving warnings and fines, and could have their vehicles confiscated if they do it again.