Iran activists dismiss reports government has dismantled 'morality police' unit

The Islamic Republic has been rocked by protests for more than two months.

Published: December 5, 2022 12:38pm

Updated: December 5, 2022 3:23pm

Anti-Iranian government protesters dismissed claims Monday that the Islamic Republic is disbanding its morality police and is no longer mandating women to wear a religious head covering known as a hijab.

Iran's Public Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri on Sunday said Tehran shut down the morality police.

Iranian journalist and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad tweeted Sunday that news about abolishing Iran's morality police "is disinformation." She also said the rumor is "a tactic" to get Iranians to "stop the uprising."

In addition, U.S.-funded outlet Voice of America reports Montazeri does not oversee the force.

The months-long street protests are in response to the death in September of Mahsa Amini – a 22-year-old woman who died while in the custody of the police unit for allegedly not properly wearing a hijab.

"Unless they remove all legal restrictions on women's dress and the laws controlling citizens' private lives, this is just a PR move," said Iranian human rights activist Roya Boroumand, according to Agence France-Presse.