Iran: Two marathon organizers arrested after some runners were found not wearing hijabs

Two organizers of a marathon held in Iran have been arrested after some of the runners did not wear the mandatory hijab, an Islamic headscarf that covers the head and neck, the Iranian judiciary said on Saturday.

"Despite previous warnings regarding the need to respect the country's current laws and regulations, as well as religious, customary and professional principles... the event was held in a manner that violated public order and decency," the local prosecutor's office was quoted as saying by Mizan media.

"Considering the violations that occurred and based on laws and regulations, criminal charges have been filed against the officials and agents who organized this event," the report added.

Mizan stated that "two main organizers of the competition were arrested on warrants."

"One of those arrested is an official in the Kis free zone, and the other works for a private company that organized the race," the media outlet added.

The report did not clearly state whether they were in prison, although it did state that they were placed under “judicial supervision.” It is also not yet known how many women violated the hijab laws.

The marathon was held a day earlier on the southwestern Iranian island of Kish, attracting around 5.000 participants in separate men's and women's races.

Kish is located in a free trade zone on the Persian Gulf. In an effort to attract tourists to the shopping areas and beaches, head covering laws are enforced less strictly in the zone.

Wearing the hijab has been a legal requirement in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and violations of the law are punishable by long prison sentences, fines, and travel bans. The laws are often enforced by so-called morality police.

Death of Mahse Amini

However, in recent years, an increasing number of women and girls have stopped covering themselves in public, especially in large cities, in direct defiance of the conservative Islamic country's clerical rulers.

The turning point came in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested for violating the hijab law, sparking anti-establishment protests led by women that shook the country.

Hard-line lawmakers responded by strengthening enforcement of the Hijab and Chastity Law. However, wary of sparking unrest, Iran's Supreme National Security Council later suspended enforcement of the harshest elements of the law.

A member of Iran's Expediency Council, which serves as an advisory body to the country's supreme leader, said the tightened hijab laws were not enforceable.

Mohammad Reza Bahonar told reporters in October that essentially "there is no mandatory hijab law in force," which sparked outrage among hardline supporters but reflected the situation on the ground in most major cities.

The issue has created a divide between hard-line and more moderate lawmakers. President Masoud Pezeshkian – considered by many to be a moderate – has refused to ratify a law passed by parliament that would have imposed harsher penalties for women who ignore the dress code.