Iranians Doubt Police Officer’s Suspension After Violent Hijab Arrest

A screen grab of a video showing Iranian police forces violently arresting a woman over mandatory hijab (May 14, 2024)
A screen grab of a video showing Iranian police forces violently arresting a woman over mandatory hijab (May 14, 2024)

A video surfaced on social media on Sunday, showing a woman being beaten and violently arrested by a regime’s hijab enforcement police officer in Iran.

The footage shows the officer forcefully pushing the woman into a car after beating and detaining her.

The woman, whose face is not visible, can be heard saying amid the assault, “Okay, let go of me… you’ve broken my neck."

In the statement issued Tuesday morning, police said that the "defendants," including the woman whose arrest is seen in the video, must "obey the law and arrest warrant and avoid any kind of unaccustomed behavior."

Media outlets have reported that the arrest of this woman was due to her opposition to the mandatory hijab.

The statement said that the officer who apprehended the woman was arrested by order of the police commander of the relevant province and is now under investigation. The officer has reportedly been suspended from service pending appropriate measures.

In response to this statement, Iranian social media users have dismissed the news of the officer's arrest as fake.

Citing numerous past incidents, one user commented: "In a few days, there will be additional news saying the person who filmed this scene was arrested."

The Police Information Center did not provide any clarification or information on the charges against the woman or the reason for her arrest.

Other instances of hijab enforcement officers violently arresting and beating women have been reported across multiple cities in Iran recently.

This comes as part of Iran’s renewed and intensified crackdown on unveiled women, following the introduction of the Noor Plan in April at the directive of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.