Iran dismisses claims morality police have been disbanded, says hijab law is under review
Amid ongoing protests against the country's ruling clerical regime, conflicting reports have emerged out of Iran that the country had abolished its "morality police," The New York Times reported Sunday.
The news was reportedly announced by Iran's attorney general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who said during a religious conference that the morality police "have been shut down from where they were set up," according to BBC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Iran's morality police were tasked with enforcing the nation's strict Islamic dress code, and their disbandment would represent a major victory for the protesters. It would also mark the first major concession given to the protesters by the ruling regime.
However, despite Montazeri's comments, the state-run Al-Alam television station pushed back on the claim that the morality police had been disbanded, CNN reported. "No official of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that the Guidance Patrol has been shut," the station said, adding that Montazeri's judiciary was not directly related to the morality police and that the hijab law was under review.
Whether the disbandment of the morality police is true or not, the protesters do not appear to be letting up anytime soon. Mostly made up of college-age women, the protesters across the capital city of Tehran are urging merchants to participate in a three-day strike, Reuters reported.
Dec. 4, 2022: This article has been updated with new information regarding the morality police.
-
Local elections 2026: where are they and who is expected to win?The Explainer Labour is braced for heavy losses and U-turn on postponing some council elections hasn’t helped the party’s prospects
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
