Iran Police Command spokesman Sardar Saeed Montazerul-Mahdi announced on Sunday that the country’s morality police would resume notifying and detaining women who are not wearing a hijab—an Islamic headscarf—in public, 10 months after the death of Mahsa Amini sparked nationwide protests.

The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by the Tehran police on September 14, 2022 for wearing an “improper” hijab and died after two days in custody. The incident sparked protests in major cities throughout the country, which lasted for months and only died down earlier this year following a major crackdown. At least 469 people have been killed during the protests. 

Although there have been reports saying the morality police have rarely patrolled the streets since the protests, Iranian authorities insist the rules regarding hijab had never changed. According to Hamshahri Online, which is affiliated with the Tehran municipality, a new plan has been implemented, with authorities deploying patrol vans and morality police to deal with the “unusual clothing throughout the country.” Videos on Twitter have shown the return of morality police in Tehran, patrolling and arresting women without compulsory hijab.

Currently, the law on compulsory hijab can be found in Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. Article 638 of the penal code states that:

Women who appear in public without prescribed Islamic dress (hejab-e-shar’i), shall be sentenced to either imprisonment of between 10 days and 2 months, or a fine of between 50,000 and 500,000 rials.