Iran police turn to technology in crackdown on headscarf violators

Iran’s police vow to act ‘from today’ over headscarf violations in public places, cars and will use ‘smart equipment’ to identify lawbreakers

The number of women defying the Islamic dress code in Iran has risen since the protests over the death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22

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Iranian women walk on a street amid the implementation of the new hijab surveillance in Tehran, Iran on April 15, 2023. Photo: via Reuters

Published: 11:18pm, 15 Apr 2023

Police in Iran said on Saturday they have implemented a plan to deal with women who violate the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

The number of women defying the dress code that headscarves must be worn in public has increased since a protest movement triggered by the death in custody last year of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22, for allegedly flouting it.

A statement on the police website on Saturday said action would be taken “from today” over violations in public places, in cars and other “sites where hijab is sometimes removed”.

“In this context, technology will be used for the smart identification of people who break the law,” it said.

Iran’s riot police forces stand on a street amid the implementation of the new hijab surveillance. Photo: via Reuters

“Removing hijab is considered a crime, and the police deal with social anomalies within the framework of the law,” the statement quoted Security Police chief Hassan Mofakhami as saying.

“People who break the law are responsible for their actions and should be held accountable for their behaviour,” he added.

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