Law Enforcement Responds to Video of Woman Struck by ‘Guidance Patrol’ Vehicle

Following the controversial spread of a video showing a woman being struck by an Iranian police vehicle, the spokesman for Iran’s law enforcement announced that the matter would be investigated.A video has recently been circulated on social media showing a woman throwing herself in front of a ‘Guidance Patrol’ vehicle to prevent her identification documents from being confiscated by law enforcement, but the police car did not stop and struck the woman.

شايدزيرگرفتن زن و بچه مردم توسط #گشت_ارشاد كاردولت نباشد، اماسكوت #روحانى به عنوان مدافع حقوق شهروندى ملت معادل همدستى دولت است اين جرم. pic.twitter.com/HAwIdeWHr7

— Ahmad Batebi (@radiojibi) May 6, 2017

Said Montazeri-ol-Mahdi, spokesman for Iran’s law enforcement, said on Monday, May 8th, that investigators are examining the video to determine when the incident occurred. “What has been established so far is that the video has been edited,” he stated.

He emphasized that police do not condone such conduct and will take “decisive legal action” against those responsible. However, this is not the first time images of severe and violent conduct by law enforcement against women regarding hijab have been released.

In December 1978, just days after the revolutionaries’ victory, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a mandatory hijab decree, which women protested through numerous gatherings and demonstrations, but it ultimately became law.

Mandatory hijab in Iran is one of the violations of citizens’ rights, and many women over the years have faced numerous confrontations and deprivations due to what is called improper hijab or no hijab.

The presence of special police forces tasked with enforcing proper hijab in Iran, known as the ‘Guidance Patrol,’ represents one of the Islamic Republic’s latest measures to impose mandatory hijab. However, the violent and unlawful conduct of these patrols has even faced criticism from senior Iranian officials.

Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, stated in July 2015 in a speech that “adherence to modesty and hijab is not possible through force and coercion.”

This position drew significant attention given Rouhani’s history as one of the enforcers of mandatory hijab in the early years of the Islamic Republic. A few months later, Hossein Ashtar, commander of Iran’s law enforcement, protested, saying: “Everyone who wants to participate in the presidency makes a slogan that I will abolish the Guidance Patrol; but is such a thing possible?”

Recently, Ishaq Jahangiri, First Vice President and candidate for the twelfth presidential election, has also taken a stance against the Guidance Patrol, stating that in one province, police assaulted a groom at a wedding celebration. According to Mr. Jahangiri, this young man will never have confidence in Islam for the rest of his life.

Source: Voice of America