Attorney General Says Morality Police To Be Disbanded, Hijab Laws Reviewed

Iranian officials have announced steps intended to bring an end to months of protests, reports the Wall Street Journal.

On Saturday, Attorney General Mohammad-Jafar Montazeri announced that the morality police had been disbanded and that lawmakers and the judiciary were reviewing the hijab law.

President Ebrahim Raisi appeared to support the measures during a televised speech, saying that Iran’s Islamic system was inherent in its constitution but that “there are methods of implementing the constitution that can be flexible.”

A decision to formally disband the morality police would likely involve Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, both of whom have strongly defended the need to wear a hijab in public, analysts said.

A decision regarding recommendation for change to the hijab law will be made later this month, said Montazeri.

It was not immediately clear if Montazeri’s comments reflected high-level decisions to make significant changes or if they are temporary offers intended to help suppress the demonstrations, said experts.