Mohseni Ejei, Iran’s Judiciary Chief hints at boosting mandatory hijab street harassment
A week after Ali Khamenei’s re-emphasis on the enforcement of the compulsory hijab, the regime’s Chief Justice said that the clerical regime was not in a good situation in terms of “hijab and chastity”; a statement that according to some, could mean stricter hijab harassment by the regime’s morality police and hijab enforcers.
In a meeting with the heads of some of the state-run media, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said, “I still believe that by following the existing laws, the state of chastity and hijab can be improved until the relevant law is passed in this field.”
These kinds of statements are not new. On October 23, 2023, the Iranian Judiciary Chief had ordered prosecutors, the police, and the Ministry of Interior to take action and not wait for the approval of the bill related to “chastity and hijab.”
Mohseni Ejei said those who were against the mandatory hijab were “playing in the enemy’s ground” and emphasized that “we should definitely stand up to these people and deal with them according to the law.”
These statements led to the intensification of the harassment of Iranian women and girls by the morality police and hijab enforcers and the implementation of mandatory hijab rules and regulations in various institutions and organizations.
On the other hand, the “chastity and hijab” bill is also in its final stage of amendments ordered by the Guardian Council, and stricter laws would be enforced after its approval.
Earlier, Amirhossein Banki Pourfard, Isfahan’s deputy in the regime’s parliament, announced that three million tomans were withdrawn as a systematic fine from the bank accounts of women who refused to comply with the regime’s mandatory hijab laws, and emphasized that these women would be prosecuted if they failed to comply in the future.
Last year, the Iranian Judiciary drafted the “Chastity and Hijab” bill in nine articles and sent it to the government. The government sent a 15-article bill to the Majlis (the mullahs’ parliament) for approval. The parliament, however, adopted a bill which has 72 articles.
The bill is still going back and forth between the Guardian Council and the parliament.
