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Iranian police have dispersed a weeks-long sit-in by demonstrators advocating for mandatory head coverings for women, state media reported, after authorities ruled the gathering illegal.
The protest, primarily composed of women dressed in black full-body robes, had been ongoing since last month outside the Iranian parliament in Tehran.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required to cover their hair in public. However, in recent years, particularly in major cities like Tehran, an increasing number of women have begun to challenge the rule by wearing their coverings more loosely.
The demonstrators were demanding the enforcement of a bill that would impose stricter penalties on those who refuse to wear the hijab.
Although the Iranian parliament approved the bill in September 2023, it sparked intense debate and was never forwarded to the government for final approval, leaving it effectively stalled.
"After extensive discussions with the relevant authorities, protesters were asked to leave and avoid causing disruptions, blocking roads, and creating traffic congestion," the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported late Saturday.
"Most of the demonstrators complied with police orders and left the area, but unfortunately, around 30 individuals resisted," the report added.
Mizan also released a video showing a confrontation between protesters and security forces as they were ordered to disperse.
According to the official IRNA news agency, the "illegal" protest had lasted approximately 48 days.
The bill, officially titled the "Law on Supporting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab," sought to introduce harsher punishments for women who did not adhere to the hijab requirement. It also included substantial fines and prison sentences for those accused of promoting "nudity" or "indecency."
Parliament passed the legislation nearly a year after widespread protests erupted in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women.
Since her death, more women have openly defied the mandatory hijab law.
In January, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani confirmed that the bill had been shelved, citing concerns over its potential for "serious social consequences."
