Iran’s “Invisible Morality Police”: The Silent Return of Hijab Enforcement in Tehran

 Iran’s “Invisible Morality Police”: The Silent Return of Hijab Enforcement in Tehran

By Journalistsir | Association of Environmental Journalists

Invisible Morality Police

 Iran hijab law 2025, morality police, women’s rights in Iran, Saadat Abad Tehran, virtual car seizure, digital surveillance, Iranian women, social control

Despite government denials, evidence from Tehran and other major cities suggests the morality police in Iran have quietly returned — this time in digital form.

In one recent case in Sa’adat Abad, traffic police stopped a female driver and confiscated her vehicle card for what they described as a “hijab violation” inside the car.

 The officer instructed her to visit the Moral Security Police to remove the violation from the system — a new bureaucratic process called a “virtual impoundment.”

Unlike the notorious street patrols of the past, this method doesn’t involve towing cars or physical detention. Instead, vehicles are “digitally frozen” in police databases, limiting access to public services until the owner complies.

This new form of enforcement marks a technological evolution of Iran’s morality policing, shifting from physical patrols to data-driven monitoring.

 Yet for many women, the fear remains the same — anxiety over warning texts, vehicle seizures, and uncertain legal consequences.

While officials insist that “no physical morality patrols are operating,” social observers and legal experts argue that the state’s control over personal freedoms has simply become invisible.

🌍 Journalistsir | Association of Environmental Journalists

Environment is a way of life...

@journalistsir | @bahrm8

🔗 https://journalistsirani.blogspot.com