The spokesman for the Islamic Republic's judiciary announced at his press conference on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, that the head of the judiciary has ordered that the issue of compulsory hijab be pursued through prosecutors' offices across the country. According to him, the country's prosecutor general has been tasked with coordinating this effort in all prosecutors' offices.
According to Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, and the Entekhab website, the judiciary spokesman said that under the Islamic Penal Code not observing the hijab is a "crime" and that judicial officers are obliged to refer people to the judicial authorities when they witness a flagrant offence. He added that the judiciary, while stressing cultural work, has begun special measures against what he called "norm-breaking and organised activities" in this area, the results of which will be announced later.
Responsibility of venues and businesses for enforcing the hijab
According to the judiciary spokesman, units that receive a licence from the government and provide public services are also obliged to enforce laws and regulations within their premises, and supervisory bodies have been asked to monitor this. These remarks mean shifting part of the burden of enforcing compulsory hijab onto cafés, restaurants, shops and other licensed businesses.
The order was announced on the same day that Tehran's public places police banned hookah, live music and DJs in cafés. At the same time, the Islamic Republic's parliament is passing the bill on countering infiltration, which sets new penalties for civic activity.
Background of the hijab crackdown after the January uprising
Since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in 2022, compulsory hijab has become one of the main points of confrontation between the Islamic Republic and Iranian women, and many women in large cities appear in the street without a headscarf. Handing hijab enforcement to prosecutors comes as the government has increased security and judicial pressure on society after the January uprising and during the war with the United States.
The Islamic Republic's judiciary has handed enforcement of compulsory hijab to all prosecutors' offices in the country and announced "special measures" against what it calls organised norm-breaking.
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