On Friday, February 16, 2019, morality police tried to arrest two young women in Tehran for ‘mal-veiling’. A group of people intervened and saved the girls from being arrested.
On Saturday, February 16, 2019, the state-run media IRNA officially announced the clashes between a crowd of people with morality police which took place on Friday, February 16, 2019, following the attempt to arrest the two young women in Narmak, Tehran.
According to witnesses, the morality police agents confronted the two young women for ‘mal-veiling’ and tried to arrest them. However, a group of people intervened to protect the girls and prevented the morality police from arresting the two young girls.
In fear of the spread of a public gathering, the morality police attempted to disperse the crowd by firing bullets into the air. Heavy clashes followed the shots and the crowd broke the door of the vehicle belonging to the morality police, saving the two young women. The morality police were forced to retreat and leave the scene.
The state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged this news and confirmed that the door of the morality police vehicle was broken down. The news agency also confirmed the video taken by mobile phone from the scene of the clash. (The state-run IRNA news agency – February 16, 2019)
The suppression of women under the pretext of ‘mal-veiling’ is a systematic and state-supported approach to violence against women in Iran.
A video clip disseminated in the social media on April 18, showed at least four Guidance Patrols attacking four young women in a park, beating and shoving them around for improper veiling and refusing to get on the Patrol’s van. One of the young women suffered from a heart condition and went unconscious as a result of the beatings.
The video clip rapidly went viral and raised public outrage in Iran and around the world so much that a number of regime officials including the Minister of Interior had to speak out against the patrols’ savagery and promise to follow up the case and have the involved agents punished.