Statements by the Head of the Judiciary on the legal confrontation with public indecency, unveiling, and semi-nudity

According to the Judiciary’s Media Center, in the midst of a meeting of the Administrative Council of Yazd Province, Mohseni Eje’i presented extensive discussions and explanations regarding policies and measures aimed at countering various manifestations of social misconduct, particularly in the sphere of modesty and hijab.

At the beginning of his remarks, while outlining the enemy’s plans and schemes to prevail in its hybrid war, the Head of the Judiciary stated: “After failing in the 12-day imposed war, the enemy concentrated all its efforts on pressuring the livelihood of our people and, on the other hand, creating cultural and social knots and challenges in our country.”

Explaining the importance of culture and cultural issues, he said: “Security and economy are highly important and decisive matters. Without security, neither production nor production-oriented investment will exist; without security, economic stability and progress are impossible. On the other hand, if people’s livelihood and the country's economy are weak or damaged, existing security also loses much of its effectiveness. These matters influence each other. Nevertheless, despite all this, we firmly emphasize that attention to security and economic issues must not divert us from caring about cultural matters. The essence of the Islamic Revolution is cultural; cultural matters are foundational and constitutive.”

The Judiciary Chief then referred to the dangers threatening Iran’s rich Islamic and Iranian culture and the need for comprehensive confrontation with these threats. He said: “Promoting social abnormalities, especially regarding modesty and hijab, is one of the enemy’s tactics in its hybrid war against the Iranian nation. In January 2023, after the incidents of that autumn, I warned certain responsible authorities that urgent measures must be taken regarding modesty and hijab, as with the arrival of spring we might see certain movements in this area.”

He added: “In the first days of April 2023, I held two meetings with relevant authorities from political, social, cultural, security, and law enforcement sectors, and told them that I had compiled all laws and regulations related to modesty and hijab, and I believe that with these existing laws we can achieve over 75% effectiveness in preventing violations. For example, I explained the legal duties of guilds, the police (FARAJA), and others.”

Mohseni Eje’i stated that during those meetings he issued a four-article directive, according to which intelligence bodies were required to identify organized groups promoting indecency and unveiling and introduce them to the judiciary, and the police were instructed to confront “manifest crime” related to indecency and unveiling in public.

He continued: “After some time, the matter of modesty and hijab was raised in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. I again emphasized that with the existing laws, a considerable part of public indecency and unveiling can be prevented. Ultimately, the Council tasked the Judiciary with drafting a bill in this regard. I accepted and declared that drafting such a bill posed no problem.”

He added: “We in the Judiciary, using expert opinions, drafted a concise but effective and enforceable 9-article bill on modesty and hijab. It went to the government, which added six more articles. However, Parliament expanded this 15-article bill to 74 articles, leading to several exchanges with the Guardian Council. Eventually, it became law, and we are now dealing with the situation as it stands.”

The Judiciary Chief said: “In any case, part of the social abnormalities in today’s society is related to issues of modesty and hijab. In this regard, all of us are responsible before religious law, civil law, and the demand of devout citizens. The current situation must not continue. I am not saying that only strict punitive measures should be taken, but I emphasize that the current situation cannot persist.”

He added: “Recently, based on the same four-article directive from April 2023, I have issued firm instructions to relevant officials and institutions. The intelligence agencies are obliged to identify organized networks promoting indecency and unveiling; the police are responsible under the law for confronting manifest crimes in this regard—especially in cases that are clearly obvious, where individuals are semi-nude or fully nude. Such cases will be dealt with legally.”

He continued: “The majority of women in our society—even those who may not be considered traditionally religious or fully veiled—do not approve of the current situation and believe that, under such circumstances, the integrity of the family suffers serious damage.”

In another part of his remarks, Mohseni Eje’i said: “Serving the people in the Islamic system is both a religious and political duty; moreover, serving the people neutralizes the enemies’ conspiracies, because the enemies seek to create public dissatisfaction among our people.”