Iran: Women might get their cars confiscated upon failure of wearing hijab while driving

The Iran government has passed another controversial law, that prohibits women from driving cars without a “Hijab”. This which has been the subject of ongoing protests around the nation.

In April, national police head Ahmad Reza Radan announced the start of a “smart” plan using surveillance cameras to identify women who disobey the threat of fines or imprisonment by failing to cover their hair or wear loose-fitting clothing in public.

He issued warnings that people who violated the hijab rule a second time would face legal action, that cars transporting female passengers with uncovered hair would be impounded, and that companies that failed to enforce the law would be forced to close.

However, his decision sparked mocking replies on social media, with women around the nation tweeting images and videos of themselves in public places without the hijab.

People claim to have been getting notifications about dress code violations inside their cars from traffic control cameras for a number of years.

However, this is the first instance in which the government has threatened to punish or seize people’s cars.

“After a road trip to the city of Damghan with my female friends, I got an SMS with my number plate number more than a month ago. In our autos, we were primarily not covering our faces, one woman told the BBC.

Similar texts warning them that their automobiles will be impounded if they reappear in public without the hijab have been reported from other persons. Links to a website where they can contest the alleged offence are also included in the messages.

A message with his car’s licence plate and the spot he had driven on a specific day, according to one man, was given to him, “except I was not with a woman at that time and place.”

“I was by myself. Their cameras aren’t very precise, he continued.

The man, who wished to remain unnamed, shared a photograph to the BBC displaying his long hair.

As a result of April’s pronouncement, men have also claimed that the police sent them a seemingly random message saying, “Dear citizen, it is necessary to respect and comply with the law of the hijab.”

One man joked about the action on Instagram, adding, “Is this how smart your technology is?”

According to some solicitors, the judiciary and police are breaking the law with this unprecedented action.

Mohsen Borhani stated on Twitter that “the confiscation of cars because a person is not wearing a hijab has no legal basis in the constitution and is a crime.” In response, the judiciary reiterated that “taking off the hijab in public is a crime”.