Iran arrests two marathon organisers over images of women competing without hijab
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Women in Iran have been increasingly ignoring the hijab law, especially since nationwide protests in 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
- Iranian authorities arrested two marathon organisers on Kish Island after women ran without hijabs.
- The arrests follow criticism of authorities for not enforcing hijab laws, particularly after recent protests.
- Around 5,000 people participated; officials face charges for violating "public decency" by not upholding dress code.
AI generated
TEHRAN – The Iranian authorities have arrested two organisers of a marathon on Kish island after images emerged of women competing without hijab.
The Islamic republic’s judicial authorities have faced mounting criticism from ultraconservatives for failing to properly enforce a mandatory headscarf law for women, as fears grow of a surge of Western influence.
Women in Iran have, in recent years, been increasingly ignoring the hijab law
Images online of the Dec 5 marathon showed a number of runners who were not following the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women, which was enshrined in law in the early 1980s.
“Two of the main organisers of the competition were arrested on warrants,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported on Dec 6, the day after the marathon took place.
“One of those arrested is an official in the Kish free zone, and the other works for the private company that organised the race,” it added.
Around 5,000 people took part in the race, according to local media.
The judiciary earlier reported a criminal case was opened against the organisers of the race.
“Despite previous warnings regarding the need to comply with the country’s current laws and regulations, as well as religious, customary and professional principles… the event was held in a way that violated public decency,” the local prosecutor was quoted as saying in Mizan Online.
“Considering the violations that occurred and based on the laws and regulations, a criminal case has been filed against the officials and agents organising this event.”
Condemnation
Conservative-aligned outlets, including Tasnim and Fars, earlier condemned the marathon as indecent and disrespectful to Islamic laws enforced after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah.
Women in Iran are required to cover their hair and wear modest, loose-fitting clothing in public.
But adherence to the hijab rules has become more sporadic since the protests in 2022 that followed the death in custody of Ms Mahsa Amini
Earlier this week, a majority of lawmakers accused the judiciary of failing to uphold the hijab law.
Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei later called for stricter enforcement.
Iran’s government under President Masoud Pezeshkian has refused to ratify a Bill passed by Parliament that would have imposed tough penalties for women who do not observe the dress code.
In May 2023, the head of Iran’s athletics federation resigned after women without headscarves took part in a sporting event in the southern city of Shiraz. AFP
