Iran: Confusion over the alleged end of the Morale Police

Confusion surrounds the announcement of the alleged dismantling of the feared Morale Police, with conservative media denying that this is the case, activists who view the measure with skepticism and the police force preferring to remain silent.

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The so-called Moral Police has disappeared from the streets of the country since the protests unleashed by the death of Mahsa Amini after being arrested by that police force for not wearing the Islamic headscarf properly.

The riots began over the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish girl, but have evolved and now the protesters are calling for the end of the Islamic Republic founded by Ayatollah Ruholá Khomeini in 1979.

During a press conference, a journalist asked the country’s attorney general, Mohamad Jafar Montazeri, about the absence from the streets of the Morale Police and the politician replied that this body “has nothing to do with the judiciary and was suppressed by those who created it.”

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That phrase was interpreted as an announcement of the dismantling of the morality policea body that has been monitoring since 2005 that women comply with the strict dress code imposed by the Islamic Republic.

Iranian media picked up Montazeri’s words and announced the end of that body despite the fact that it depends on the Ministry of the Interior and the Supreme Cultural Council of the Revolution, which have not made any announcements in this regard.

But shortly after, state television Alalam clarified that Montazeri’s statements had been misinterpreted, who, according to his version, only said that the management of this body does not depend on the Judiciary.

In addition, Montazerí clearly assured that “women’s clothing continues to be important” and that the Judiciary would continue to carry out its work in this regard, that is, applying the laws that penalize non-compliance, such as two months in prison for women. don’t wear the veil.

A protester holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on September 20, 2022. (Photo: Ozan KOSE / AFP) / (OZAN KOSE /)

distrust of activists

For their part, Iranian activists were immediately suspicious of the alleged announcement.

“If the Morality Police had really been suppressed, it would have been announced as a constructive and formal decision”said activist Pooria Asteraky on Twitter.

The activist Atena Daemí affirmed in turn that “it is a hoax to appease the revolutionaries”, referring to the protests that have shaken Iran since mid-September and in which more than 400 people have died.

To try to clarify the situation, the reformist daily Shargh contacted the director of Public Relations of the Tehran Police, Colonel Sabahi, but did not receive a response on the matter.

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“Don’t say that you have called us, now is not the time for such talks, the police will talk about it when they deem it appropriate.”the police officer replied to the Shargh journalist.

Montazeri also referred to a possible change in the regulations on women’s clothing, something that Parliament would be studying and that would be announced in the middle of this month, something that other authorities have recently mentioned.

But the result of these alleged changes remains to be seen.

Parliament deputy Hosein Yalalí said Monday in the holy city of Qom that “within two weeks” a new “chastity” and “veil” plan will be applied, according to the Shargh newspaper.

“We will raise the punishment of bad hijab (as they say in Iran to wear the veil badly)”, Yalalí, who is a cleric, assured a group of women who wore the chador, a black garment that is placed on the head and covers the entire body except the face.

The headscarf has been mandatory in Iran since 1983, shortly after the revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, who declared that women were “naked” without it.

Source: Elcomercio