Iranian judicial authorities have detained two organisers of a marathon on Kish Island after photographs emerged showing female participants running without the mandatory Islamic headscarf.
Organisers Detained Following 'Indecent' Event
The arrests took place on Saturday, with the judiciary's Mizan news agency confirming a criminal case had been initiated. The two main organisers were arrested on warrants, one an official from the Kish free zone and the other an employee of the private company that ran the event.
The local prosecutor stated the marathon, held on Friday with roughly 5,000 participants, had been conducted in violation of public decency. "Despite previous warnings regarding the need to comply with the country’s current laws and regulations... the event was held in a way that violated public decency," the prosecutor was quoted as saying.
Conservative Backlash and Political Pressure
The incident has sparked criticism from ultraconservative factions within Iran, who accuse the government of insufficient enforcement of hijab rules. Conservative media outlets, including Tasnim and Fars, condemned the race as indecent and disrespectful to Islamic laws.
This comes amid a wider political debate on the issue. Earlier this week, a majority of Iranian lawmakers accused the judiciary itself of failing to uphold the hijab law, prompting the chief justice, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, to call for stricter enforcement.
A Persistent Struggle Since the 2022 Protests
While Iranian law requires women to cover their hair and wear modest clothing in public, adherence has become notably more sporadic since the nationwide protests in 2022. Those demonstrations were triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman arrested for an alleged dress code violation.
The government of President Masoud Pezeshkian has so far refused to ratify a parliamentary bill that would impose harsh penalties on women not observing the dress code. This is not an isolated incident in sports; in May 2023, the head of Iran’s athletics federation resigned after a similar event in Shiraz where women competed unveiled.
The arrests underscore the ongoing tension between state mandates and social change in Iran, with sporting events becoming a new flashpoint in the enduring conflict over personal freedoms and religious law.
