Iranian civil political activists, including several who are currently imprisoned, have condemned the government's "military" aggression toward women through its renewed enforcement of the mandatory hijab, according to a document made available to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
The statement criticizes the "government's mobilization" against women and highlights what it calls "a persistent campaign of arrests and repression" and emphasizes that, despite "the oppressive measures, the people of Iran remain committed to seeking freedom."
Following the death of in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, who died while detained by the morality police, and the subsequent nationwide protests it sparked, the presence of morality police vehicles in cities had noticeably decreased.
But since April 14, law enforcement and plainclothes officers have escalated violent tactics against women and girls in Tehran and other cities in enforcing the Hijab and Chastity Law, resulting in numerous detentions following public assaults.
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Iran's 'Ambassadors Of Kindness' Enforce Hijab In New Head Scarf Crackdown
The activists' statement accuses the government of using the law as a tool to control lifestyles and maintain the state's power through fear.
Signatories to the statement include prominent figures such as Narges Mohammadi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, and Faezeh Hashemi, who called the government's actions inhumane and illegal.
They argued that the state's treatment of women resisting the hijab mandate not only violates human rights, but also demonstrates the regime's "misogynistic stance."
The new crackdown on women for not adhering to the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, intensified after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a directive during the recent Eid al-Fitr prayer sermon to step up enforcement measures against what he called "religious norm-breaking" within Iranian society.
Khamenei also emphasized that the mandatory hijab law was a "definite religious decree," underscoring the obligation of all to adhere to this the same as other legal decrees.
The resurgence of the morality police has sparked increased tensions and confrontations across various cities.
Despite the backlash and public outcry, including from some regime supporters, the national police command says the crackdown will continue.
The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move triggered protests that were swiftly crushed by the new authorities. Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.