,
Tehran Since the
1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, Iranian law has required all women in the country to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck and conceals the hair. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the
Islamic Revolution Committees functioned as
Islamic religious police in Iran. In 2005, they were succeeded by the Guidance Patrol which now serves as the official religious police and reports directly to the
Supreme Leader of Iran. On
Iranian Mother's Day in 2013, the Guidance Patrol distributed flowers to women wearing the
chador, the preferred style of hijab. That same year, the police reportedly issued warnings and guidance to 3.6 million Iranians for failing to observe the Islamic dress code. In 2015, during an eight-month period, police in
Tehran stopped 40,000 individuals for dress code violations while driving; most of their vehicles were impounded, typically for a week. She died while in custody three days later. The official cause of death was
heart failure; however, bruises on her legs and face suggested to many that she had been beaten, despite police denials. Multiple medical officials and detainees who witnessed her arrest claim that Guidance Patrol officials tortured her in the back of a van before arriving at the station. Her detention and subsequent death
inspired a wave of protests in Iran, including at
Tehran University and Kasra Hospital, which was where she died. Amini's death sparked major
protests, "unlike any the country had seen before", the "biggest challenge" to the government, with an unknown organization starting riots around the country, leaving 10,000s arrested and over 500 killed. During the protests against the headscarf requirements and the Iranian government in general in late 2022, enforcement of compulsory headscarf was relaxed, and there was even an erroneous report that it would be disbanded. The morality police in Iran are responsible for ensuring compliance with the country's compulsory dress code laws. As of September 2023, a morality crackdown is in process. In mid-July 2023, after months of a large fraction of younger women ignoring compulsory headscarf, and just before the start of the
holy month of Muharram, a spokesman for Iranian law enforcement formally announced that the morality police would return to the streets. (On 15 July, the day of their return to the streets, widespread internet outages were observed). In March 2024, a United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Mahsa Amini's death in custody. The investigation found that Amini was subjected to severe beatings during her arrest, contradicting Iranian authorities’ persistent denials. The UN report also documented systemic abuses by Iranian security forces during the nationwide protests that followed her death, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators, particularly women and girls.
Armita Geravand incident In October 2023, a 17-year-old Iranian girl,
Armita Geravand, fell into coma and was declared brain dead after an encounter with morality police officers. The incident sparked outrage and criticism from human rights groups and social media users, who compared it to the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Iran denied that Geravand was harmed by the officers and said her condition was due to a pre-existing illness. ==Timeline==