Iran opens criminal case over Tehran 10K hijab claims

Iran's judiciary said authorities opened a criminal case against organisers of a 10-kilometre run in Tehran over alleged religious and legal violations, after images showed women competing without hijab.

The run took place on Friday, the same day as a military parade held as part of a mobilisation campaign called "Sacrifice for the Fatherland".

The judiciary's Mizan Online platform said on Saturday that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office intervened after legal and religious requirements were not observed. It said a criminal complaint was filed against people involved in organising and running the event.

Images shared on the Tehrun event's Instagram account showed women running together, some without head coverings. Women in Iran are required to cover their hair and wear modest, loose-fitting clothing in public.

Iranian authorities arrested two organisers of a run on Kish island last year after women were also seen competing without hijab. Observance of hijab rules has become more sporadic since the 2022 protests that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman arrested over an alleged dress-code breach.