Iran's judiciary says women will be punished for violating Islamic dress code

The September 16 death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody for flouting the dress code triggered nationwide protests.

Iranians walk through Tehran Bazaar, in Tehran, Iran December 5, 2022. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)
Iranians walk through Tehran Bazaar, in Tehran, Iran December 5, 2022.
(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

Women violating the Islamic dress code will be punished, Iran's Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Monday according to the official IRNA news agency, reaffirming the law after months of unrest that brought a deadly security crackdown.

"Removing one's hijab is equivalent to showing enmity to the Islamic Republic and its values. People who engage in such an abnormal act will be punished," Ejei said.

"With the help of the judiciary and executive, authorities will use all available means to deal with the people who cooperate with the enemy and commit this sin that harms public order."

"Removing one's hijab is equivalent to showing enmity to the Islamic Republic and its values. People who engage in such an abnormal act will be punished."

Mohseni Ejei

Nationwide protests

The September 16 death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody for flouting the dress code triggered nationwide protests that posed one of the toughest challenges to theocracy since its establishment in 1979.

 Iranian Americans rally outside the White House on September 24, 2022, in support of anti-regime protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. (credit: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
Iranian Americans rally outside the White House on September 24, 2022, in support of anti-regime protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. (credit: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

An increasingly severe crackdown by security forces has largely stifled the unrest in recent weeks.