Tehran, Apr 17 Iranian police shut down 155 businesses in a single day for violating laws requiring women to wear a veil and sent messages to 3,500 citizens not to wear the compulsory Islamic dress , media in the Persian country reported on Monday.
Iranian authorities on Saturday began rolling out a plan to reinstate the headscarf, a garment many women have abandoned since the September death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for improperly wearing the hijab.
On the first day of the plan, police closed 137 shops and 18 restaurants across the country for failing to comply with regulations imposing the veil on women, the official IRNA news agency reported today.
“Officers closed and filed charges against 137 shops and 18 restaurants for ignoring the notices,” police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi said, according to IRNA.
Montazerolmahdi claimed that only a “minority” do not respect the laws and ensured that the majority of citizens support “dress regulations” in the Persian country.
WARNING MESSAGES
In addition, police sent 3,500 text messages to women driving vehicles without headscarves, the reformist daily Shargh reported.
“Dear Madam, on the day (…) at the place (…) you have committed the crime of removing your hijab in public, in accordance with Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code,” the post read.
“This message is a preliminary warning and if you persist in repeating the crime of not covering yourself with a veil, you will face the law,” the warning text continues.
Shargh noted that billboards reminding women to wear the headscarf have been installed in shopping malls in Tehran.
At the same time, the Police have asked major stores to place doormen at the entrances to warn women to cover up, which is already happening in the capital’s metro, according to the newspaper.
The law punishes women who do not cover themselves with fines and up to two months in prison, but authorities are also considering other options, such as deprivation of banking services.
Women caught in the open in their car risk having the vehicle seized.
Iranian police on Saturday launched a plan to reimpose the headscarf by using cameras in public places and warning shopkeepers.
In addition, the judicial authorities have announced that they will also prosecute those who encourage women to remove the compulsory Islamic headscarf in public.
Earlier this month, the Ministries of Education and Health announced that they would not allow students who do not wear headscarves to attend universities and institutes. ECE
jlr/rf