Hijab Enforcers Deployed At Tehran University

The University of Tehran's President Mohammad Moghimi has officially confirmed the increased presence of hijab enforcers at the capital's campus.

He said women, "with seminary education," organized into "monitoring groups for students' hijab" are now on the university campus.

Moghimi disclosed the development during a session of the Council for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice at the university.

He explained that the groups, comprised of women focused on “improving compliance with behavioral codes, are tasked with monitoring and enhancing the adherence to dress codes in alignment with religious rules, university regulations, and standards across all campuses of the University of Tehran.”

Critics argue that the presence of such groups raises questions about individual freedoms and privacy on university campuses, which have been hotbeds for anti-regime sentiment since last year's Women, Life, Freedom movement saw uprisings swell across the country.

The issues first came to light earlier this month when student councils in the country reported the presence of "hijab enforcement" forces in the University of Tehran's campuses, detailing instances of harassment and intimidation by the forces, who patrol the university campus under the pretext of enforcing dress codes.

Student councils also revealed that within a week, more than 50 students were summoned to disciplinary committees by the hijab enforcement forces. The majority of the students faced a range of penalties, from verbal reprimands to suspension from their studies as has been since since the uprising began last year and hijab crackdowns toughen.