What is Iran's morality police?
The Guidance Patrol (Persian: Gasht-e Ershad, گشت ارشاد) is a specialised unit of the FARAJA national police, created in 2005 under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Its formal mission is to enforce the Islamic Republic's interpretation of "public chastity" — overwhelmingly directed at women's clothing, hair, and conduct in public spaces.
Where does the morality police come from?
Compulsory veiling was imposed by Ayatollah Khomeini's decree in March 1979 and codified in 1983. From 1979 to 1992 enforcement was carried out by the Komiteh (Revolutionary Committees) and the Basij. The Guidance Patrol replaced earlier "Chastity Patrols" in 2005 to provide a more visible, uniformed presence with marked vans.
How does the morality police operate?
Patrols of two to four officers — typically one woman in chador, two men — operate from white-and-green vans at metro entrances, parks, malls and university gates. Women judged to be in violation are warned, photographed, and often forced into the van to a "Vozara"-style detention centre for "re-education" briefings, fines, or transfer to court.
Did the morality police kill Mahsa Amini?
On 13 September 2022 a Guidance Patrol unit detained Mahsa (Jina) Amini, 22, at Haqqani Metro Station in Tehran. Within two hours she collapsed at the Vozara detention facility with signs of severe head trauma; she died on 16 September. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded in 2024 that her death was the result of "physical violence" by state agents.
Was the morality police really suspended in 2022?
In December 2022, at the peak of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Iran's prosecutor-general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said the Guidance Patrol had been "shut down". The Interior Ministry never confirmed this, no official decree was issued, and patrols were observed in Tehran and other cities within weeks. The "suspension" was disinformation aimed at international audiences.
What is the 2024 Noor Plan?
On 13 April 2024, FARAJA announced the Noor ("Light") Plan, penindasan besar-besaran di seluruh negara terhadap ketidakpatuhan hijab yang semakin sengit. Dalam tempoh beberapa minggu, ratusan wanita telah ditangkap, premis perniagaan disita kerana melayani pelanggan yang tidak berhijab, dan sekurang-kurangnya seorang wanita — Arezou Badri — telah ditembak dan lumpuh akibat tembakan polis di Mazandaran apabila beliau enggan menghentikan keretanya. Noor Plan masih diteruskan sehingga 2026.
Mangsa-mangsa lain yang dinamakan
- Armita Geravand, 16 — pengsan pada 1 Oktober 2023 selepas pertembungan dengan penguatkuasa hijab di Metro Tehran; meninggal dunia pada 28 Oktober 2023.
- Arezou Badri, 31 — ditembak di paru-paru dan tulang belakang oleh pegawai FARAJA pada Julai 2024 di Nour, Mazandaran; mengakibatkan lumpuh paraplegia.
- Roya Heshmati — dijatuhi hukuman 74 sebatan pada Januari 2024 kerana memuat naik foto tanpa hijab di internet; hukuman telah dilaksanakan.