Iran says hijab law is under review, as state media dismisses claims feared morality police has been abolished - CNN

CNN  — 

Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said Thursday that Iran’s parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country’s mandatory hijab law, according to pro-reform outlet Entekhab.

Montazeri was besides quoted arsenic saying Iran’s feared morality constabulary had been “abolished” but Iranian authorities media powerfully pushed backmost connected those comments, saying the interior ministry oversees the force, not the judiciary.

CNN is reaching retired to the Ministry of Interior for comment.

The wearing of a hijab successful nationalist is presently mandatory for women successful Iran nether strict Islamic instrumentality that is enforced by the country’s alleged morality police. The laws astir the caput covering sparked a nationwide protestation question aft the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died successful constabulary custody aft being apprehended by the morality constabulary allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly.

Her decease connected September 16 touched a nervus successful the Islamic Republic, with salient nationalist figures coming retired successful enactment of the movement, including top Iranian histrion Taraneh Alidoosti.

The state has been gripped by a question of wide protests that were archetypal ignited by Amini’s decease and person since coalesced astir a scope of grievances with the regime. Authorities person unleashed a deadly crackdown connected demonstrators, with reports of forced detentions and carnal maltreatment being utilized to people the country’s Kurdish number group.

In a recent CNN investigation, covert grounds revealed intersexual unit against protesters, including boys, successful Iran’s detention centers since the commencement of the unrest.

On the hijab law, Montazeri said, “We cognize you consciousness anguished erstwhile you witnesser [women] without a hijab successful cities, bash you deliberation the officials are soundless astir it? As idiosyncratic who is successful the tract of this issue, I accidental that some the parliament and the judiciary are working, for example, conscionable yesterday we had a gathering with the taste committee of the parliament, and you volition spot the results wrong the adjacent week oregon two,” arsenic quoted by ISNA, state-affiliated media.

But determination is nary grounds of what, if any, changes could beryllium forthcoming to the law, which came into effect aft the Islamic Revolution successful 1979.

In effect to a newsman who asked if the country’s morality constabulary was being disbanded, Montazeri was quoted by an Iranian authorities media outlet arsenic saying, “Morality constabulary person thing to bash with the judiciary. It was abolished from the aforesaid spot it was launched. Of course, the judiciary volition proceed to show society’s behavior.”

Arab-language Al-Alam authorities tv claimed overseas media were depicting Montazeri’s comments arsenic “a retreat connected the portion of the Islamic Republic from its stance connected hijab and spiritual morality arsenic a effect of the protests”, but that each that could beryllium understood from his comments was that the morality constabulary were not straight related to the judiciary.

“But nary authoritative of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that the Guidance Patrol has been shut,” Al-Alam said Sunday afternoon.

“Some overseas media person attempted to construe these words by the prosecutor-general arsenic the Islamic Republic retreating from the contented of Hijab and modesty and assertion that it is owed to the caller riots.”

The remarks were uttered successful Qom, considered a beatified metropolis successful Siha Islam.