Iran threatens legal action against women who appear in public without a veil

Shafaq News/ Iran's head of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, has threatened legal action against women who appear in public without a veil, as an increasing number of Iranian women defy the mandatory dress code.

Mohseni-Eje'i has stated that "not wearing the veil amounts to hostility to our values," and those who commit "immoral acts" will be punished without mercy. However, he did not specify the punishment.

Mohseni-Eje'i warning comes after a statement by Iran's Ministry of Interior in support of the compulsory veil law. The Ministry described the veil as "one of the pillars of the Iranian people's civilization and one of the practical principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The statement also called on citizens to confront non-veiled women.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd who died in the custody of the morality police last September after being detained for violating the veil rules, sparked protests across the country. Since then, more Iranian women have been taking off their headscarves, appearing without them in shopping malls, restaurants, shops, and streets, risking arrest for violating the mandatory dress code.

In Iran, the interpretation of Islamic law requires women to cover their hair and wear long, loose clothing. Offenders face a public reprimand, exemplary, or detention.

Despite the government's warning, Iranian women have taken to social media to post videos of themselves resisting the morality police. However, the specific measures the government will take to enforce the compulsory veil law remains unclear.