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UN Report Details Iran's Surveillance Tactics to Enforce Hijab Laws

The report reveals the use of drones, facial recognition, and public informants to monitor and penalize women defying mandatory dress codes.

FILE - An Iranian woman, without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, walks in downtown Tehran, Iran, June 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
An Iranian woman wears traditional dresses and performs with a wooden goat doll, a symbol of the arrival of spring, in a ceremony to welcome the Iranian New Year outside the Cinema Museum in northern Tehran, Iran, on March 14, 2025. Nowruz, meaning ''New Day,'' the Iranian New Year, marks the arrival of spring on the vernal equinox. It symbolizes renewal and features traditions like spring cleaning and the Haft-Sin table. Celebrated across many countries, it is recognized by UNESCO as cultural heritage. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via AP)
Supporters hoped the protests would mark a turning point
Some women are defying the rule

Overview

  • A UN investigation highlights Iran's intensified use of electronic surveillance, including drones and facial recognition, to enforce mandatory hijab laws.
  • Authorities have implemented a mobile app enabling citizens to report women violating dress codes, with reports triggering police warnings and vehicle impoundments.
  • The crackdown comes under the 'Noor Plan,' which has led to at least 618 arrests since its reimplementation in April 2024.
  • The findings follow ongoing repression two and a half years after Mahsa Amini's death in custody, which sparked nationwide protests against hijab laws in 2022.
  • The report also notes Iran's broader efforts to silence dissent, including targeting activists and journalists both domestically and abroad.