Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 19
Iran Opens 12-Judge Moral Security Office in Tehran as Hijab and Online Crackdown Widens
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 19

Iran Opens 12-Judge Moral Security Office in Tehran as Hijab and Online Crackdown Widens

1 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 19

Summary

  • Tehran prosecutors are setting up a 12-judge “moral security” office to pursue alleged violations of public morality, with initial enforcement aimed at hijab non-compliance, “unconventional clothing” sales and online content.
  • Ali Salehi said the new unit is already monitoring cyberspace and helped arrest two influencers accused of mocking Arbaeen ceremonies, after their social-media pages were blocked.
  • BBC Persian said the move comes alongside a renewed street presence by morality police and increased harassment of women seen without head coverings or in short sleeves.
  • Recent cases have also included an animal-rights influencer reportedly detained over a video using a religious song, while other users were pressured into posting apology videos over content tied to Mahsa Amini or the exiled crown prince.
  • Dadbaan, an Iranian legal network, said vague charges such as “moral security” lack clear legal basis and risk turning the justice system into a tool for policing private life and speech.

Insights

Is Tehran's new moral security office truly about religious clothing, or a desperate shield against political collapse?
Could Iran's new digital morality squad accidentally ignite the very rebellion it desperately seeks to crush?