The New Region

Iranian authorities have filed a lawsuit against organizers of a marathon in Kish island, off the southern coast, after images showed women participating without hijab, the judiciary announced Friday.

“Despite previous warnings regarding the need to comply with the country's current laws and regulations, as well as religious, customary, and professional principles in holding this competition, the relevant officials did not pay due attention to these warnings, and the manner in which the event was held was in a way that violated public decency,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online, quoted the local prosecutor as saying.

The marathon saw over 5,000 participants, according to local media.

The lawsuit comes as Iranian lawmakers earlier this week accused the judiciary of failing to uphold the hijab law, pushing for tougher regulations.

The judiciary said lawsuits were filed against the event’s organizers and that “treatment of violators must be decisive, deterrent, and without leniency. This treatment will include all officials involved in holding the competition, including the government sector and private sector agents.”

“The judicial system supports healthy sports and social activities, but will deal with negligence or disregard for legal and religious regulations in accordance with regulations,” it added.

Local conservative media outlets also condemned the marathon, deeming it disrespectful to Islamic norms.

Following the 1979 revolution, the newly-proclaimed Islamic Republic declared wearing of the hijab compulsory for women. Those who fail to observe the hijab policy risk facing arrest or financial penalties.

Adherence to the hijab law became sporadic after the September 2022 protests that erupted in the wake of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini’s death. Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez, was arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab, and died in police custody hours later.

Her death sparked Iran’s largest protest movement in Iran in more than four decades. Iranian authorities heavily cracked down on the demonstrations with over 500 people killed and tens of thousands others arrested during the nationwide movement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has refused to ratify a bill passed by the parliament in 2023 that would have imposed harsher penalties for women who do not observe the country’s strict dress code.

“I believe in hijab; but you cannot force women to wear the chador… The issue of hijab must be resolved through cultural education; mosques should promote cultural education. The issue of hijab must be resolved with logic, not with conflict,” Iranian semi-official Mehr News quoted Pezeshkian as saying in August.