Veil Removal Prohibited in Iran: Cameras on Alert

Iranian media reported that "the police installed cameras in public places today, Saturday, to identify and punish women who do not wear hijabs." The Mehr news agency quoted Deputy Attorney General Ali Jamadi saying that "criminal courts will handle cases related to promoting the removal of hijabs, and the rulings of these courts are final and cannot be appealed." He added: "The penalty for promoting the removal of the hijab and inciting others to do so is much harsher than the act of removing the hijab itself, as it is a clear example of corruption." He did not specify what the penalties are or what he meant by promoting the removal of the hijab. A growing number of Iranian women have abandoned the hijab since the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman while in custody of the morality police last September. Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly violating hijab regulations. Security forces violently suppressed the protests that followed her death.