Watch: Women Dragged Off Street For Violating Stricter Iran Hijab Rule

Iran is presently fighting two conflicts - one marked by geopolitical tensions with Israel and the other with women within the Islamic country. The Islamic Republic of Iran had announced that they would begin a stringent crackdown on “violations” of the hijab rules starting April 13, the same day as the country's drone strikes on Israel. According to reports, several women on the streets of Tehran are being dragged into police cars for not covering their heads in public. Human rights groups have verified the videos showing women being forcefully arrested by agents of the 'morality police', Gasht-e-Irshad.

According to The Guardian, several women (no exact number yet) have been detained since April 13 for violating the hijab rules. When the women resist the arrest, they are reportedly being violently dragged into police vans. Dina Ghalibaf, a journalism student at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University, was reportedly the first to tweet about such the crackdown.

Iran's Hijab Rules Tightened

Videos circulating online show Iran's Gash-e-Irshad officers dragging women from the streets into police vans, reportedly for violating the theocratic country's dress code. One user, Dina Ghalibaf posted, "They violently dragged me into a room and Tasered me. They handcuffed me and one of the officers sexually assaulted me.”

#DinaGhalibaf, a journalist, was detained today, after publishing her account of the violent confrontation and sexual assault by Basij forces in the media.



“Yesterday, in the police room at Sadeghiyeh Metro Station, when I insisted that I have the right to use the metro as I was… pic.twitter.com/aAPeWpWzcl

— shaz (@azadikhahaneir) April 20, 2024

Ghalibaf wrote on her now-suspended X (Twitter) account that she was held at the Sadeghiyeh metro station. When she asserted her right to use the metro as a taxpayer, the police assaulted her. She was arrested and transferred to the Evin Prison, which has become notorious for incarcerating women who protested the hijab laws.

Iranian morality police grab woman for showing her hair in public.



As she screams for her life, they bundle her into the back of a vehicle.



In Iran, wearing a hijab is mandatory.



Women can be tortured and killed simply for not wearing a headscarf.



pic.twitter.com/9vCAoMqEo8

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 16, 2024

Ghalibaf and other women detained by the police have revealed the brutality they faced at the hands of the morality police. Some were beaten black and blue while some others were deliberately starved or denied medical assistance. The people of Iran are also facing burgeoning decrees of capital punishment.

The people of Iran, mostly women, led protests after the death-in-custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022. Several protestors, journalists, and activists have been held at Evin Prison for speaking up against the country's draconian dress code laws and rampant capital punishment rulings.

Jailed Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi's Message

Recently, Nobel Peace Prize awardee Narges Mohammadi who is also in Evin urged Iranians to protest against the crackdown on women. In an audio message shared by her family, she can be heard saying, "People of Iran, I ask you, artists, intellectuals, workers, teachers, and students... to protest against this war against women."

Mohammadi continued, "Do not underestimate the power of sharing your experiences. Doing so will expose the misogynistic government and bring it to its knees.” She accused the authorities of bringing “a full-scale war against all women to every street in Iran." Mohammadi was arrested in November 2021.