UK Sanctions Iran’s Hijab Police For Violence Against Women

Britain has sanctioned Iran's so-called “morality” or hijab police, over its threats of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public.

"These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence you have inflicted on your own people," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement on Monday. 

He noted that the sanctions are imposed on morality police in its entirety, as well as both its chief, Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh-Gachi, and the head of the Tehran Division, Ahmad Mirzaei. 

The new measures mean that the designated individuals cannot travel to Britain and any of their assets held in Britain will be frozen.

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in hijab police custody has sparked protests against the theocratic regime across Iran and internationally, with Iranian demonstrators calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic. 

Last week, the British foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, Tehran’s most senior diplomat in Britain, over the crackdown on the protests. As fierce antigovernment demonstrations have entered their fourth week and close to 200 protesters are reported to have been killed by security forces, European countries, the United States and Canada have issued statements and some sanctions against those Iranian officials who have been identified as responsible for using repressive measures.