Iran to disband morality police amid ongoing protests: Attorney general

Iran's attorney general has said that the country's morality police, which enforces the Islamic dress code, is being disbanded. Iran has seen months of protests over the death of young woman Mahsa Amini in custody, who was detained by the morality police for allegedly breaking the dress code.

Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said, morality police have nothing to do with the judiciary and have been abolished. He provided no further details about the state of the force, or if its closure was widespread and permanent. The judiciary continues to monitor behavioral actions at the community level, he was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency ISNA. Mr. Montazeri also told the Iranian parliament the law that requires women to wear hijabs would be looked at.

However,



there was no confirmation of the closure from the Interior Ministry which is in charge of the morality police.

Iran’s morality police, the ‘Gasht-e Ershad’ or 'Guidance Patrol' was established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the country’s Islamic dress code.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest which erupted in September after the death in custody of the 22-year-old woman who was detained by the morality police for flouting the Hijab rule. Calls for strike action and mass mobilisation have in past weeks resulted in an escalation in the unrest which has swept the country - some of the biggest anti-government protests. Iran's Interior Ministry state security council said, the death toll was 200.