The United Nations warned final week that ladies in Iran have been nonetheless being severely punished for violating strict gown codes.
Talking at his first press convention since successful the presidential election in July, Pezeshkian requested whether or not police have been nonetheless on the streets after a feminine journalist described him swerving to keep away from police automobiles.
The journalist, who wore her scarf along with her hair barely seen, stated that the police have been on the streets.
Pezeshkian responded by saying, “Morality police [kadınlara] “They need to not intervene. I will likely be monitoring the state of affairs in order that they don’t disturb the ladies,” he stated.
The speech, which coincided with the second anniversary of the demise of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, was broadcast on a number of main TV channels, together with the Islamic Republic of Iran Information Community, and went viral on social media.
Pezeshkian vowed forward of the election to oppose necessary scarf patrols and stated he would ease a number of the nation’s longstanding web controls.
Iran has stepped up surveillance on social media as women-led protests unfold throughout the nation following Amini's demise after being detained by morality police.
Pezeshkian's first press convention was interpreted as an indication of loosening the strict gown code for ladies, as some feminine journalists have been allowed to put on their headscarves loosely.
Based on the BBC Monitoring Service, the transfer was a marked departure from earlier official occasions, the place feminine journalists have been required to put on full head coverings.
UN: Girls underneath extra stress
Pezeshkian's assertion got here per week after a United Nations (UN) report stated ladies within the nation have been being punished for defying strict gown codes.
“State authorities have expanded repressive measures and insurance policies to additional deprive ladies and women of their primary rights,” the UN report stated final week.
The federal government reportedly “elevated oversight of compliance with hijab legal guidelines” in each private and non-private settings and supported stricter penalties for ladies and women who violate the foundations.
Based on the UN, safety forces have “escalated ongoing acts of bodily violence, akin to beating, kicking and slapping” ladies and women deemed to be not complying with necessary hijab legal guidelines and rules.
The UN additionally acknowledged that the “Headband and Chastity” invoice is within the closing approval stage in Iran's Guardian Council and may very well be accomplished quickly.
“The draft legislation requires harsher penalties for ladies who don’t put on the hijab, together with exorbitant fines, longer jail sentences, restrictions on employment and training alternatives, and journey bans,” UN researchers wrote.
