Uncertainty about "morality police" in Iran: Attorney general says 'disbanded', government refuses
Uncertainty remains over whether the morality police tasked with enforcing the Islamic dress code in Iran has been shut down.
Attorney General Mohammed Jafar Montazeri said in a speech at an event on Sunday that the morality police had been abolished.
But the government did not confirm this. Local media also wrote that the attorney general's words were 'interpreted' incorrectly.
The death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini in September, three days after she was detained by the morality police for 'not wearing the hijab properly', sparked protests across the country.
The moral police are said to have hit Amini on the head. However, the police claim that Amini had a heart attack.
The protests that started after Amini's death turned into anti-government protests.
Demonstrators say that they are protesting poverty, unemployment, inequality, injustice and corruption in the actions that the government describes as 'riots'.
Hundreds of people have died so far in the ongoing protests.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, different "morality police" (Israt Patrols) units have served in Iran. The current morality police patrols began in 2006. These police inspect women on the streets whether they dress according to Islamic rules.
Women who are required to cover their heads and wear long clothing are prohibited from wearing ripped jeans, shorts or other clothing deemed "inappropriate".
Attorney General Mohammed Jafar Montazeri was asked about the morality police at Sunday's religious event.
Montazeri said that "the moral police had nothing to do with the judiciary, but was abolished by where it was established."
The Attorney General also stressed that the judiciary will continue to monitor the behavior of the community.
