Iranian Tourism Professionals Arrested Over Hijab In Esfahan Province

Two Iranian tourism professionals have been arrested in Esfahan province for “violating hijab regulations.”

Niloufar Ghazaleh and her husband, Mohammad Ali Moghimi, were taken into custody on Monday under the orders of the judge of Khur and Biabanak county court.

Approximately a month ago, Ghazaleh had received a five-year imprisonment sentence for what authorities termed "publishing photos without hijab." The couple's guest house has been sealed for over a month under the same judge's directive.

Reports indicate that numerous tourist accommodations in the city of Khur, recognized as the Mesr Tourism Zone, have been shut down in recent months, ostensibly due to visitors not adhering to hijab.

Local witnesses suggest that, following the judge's order, law enforcement has closed down all previously thriving tourism-related businesses in the area.

Activities such as entering tourist sites without permission, conducting body inspections by undressing tourists, and scrutinizing the contents of tourists' mobile phones are among the measures carried out by the police in the region.

In September, Esmail Barat, Deputy for Supervision and Evaluation of Tourism Services in the country, revealed that, over the past year, 77 tourism units nationwide, including hotels, eco-lodges, traditional restaurants, and roadside centers, have been sealed due to "failure to observe norms and hijab."

Moreover, in July, disturbing images and news emerged of an attack by approximately 30 IRGC forces in uniforms and military vehicles on tourists residing in tents in the mountainous region of Opart, bordering Semnan and Mazandaran. The victims were reportedly subjected to beatings with batons and shockers.

A few days after the incident, the news website Rouydad 24 reported that the spokesperson for the Semnan governorate insisted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be held accountable for the assault.