Iran’s new president vows to ensure morality police don’t ‘bother’ women

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vows to ensure that the morality police will no longer “bother” women, in remarks to the media on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.

Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died in police custody on September 16, 2022, days after the morality police arrested her in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.

Her death triggered months-long protests across the country, with hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed in the unrest. Thousands of demonstrators were arrested.

“The morality police were not supposed to confront (women). I will follow up so they don’t bother” them, Pezeshkian says, during his first press conference since he took office in July.

Pezeshkian replaced the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

During his election campaign, he had vowed to “fully” oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf, as well as easing long-standing internet restrictions.

Iran has over the years tightly controlled internet use, restricting popular social media platforms, such as Facebook and X.

Harsher curbs were enforced following 2019 protests against fuel price hikes and during the wave of demonstrations triggered by Amini’s death.

Pezeshkian says his government was working to ease restrictions online, especially on social media.