Iran using drones and phone apps to monitor strict dress code for women

A recent United Nations report indicates that Iran is using drones and intrusive digital technologies to suppress dissent, particularly among women who refuse to comply with the Islamic Republic's strict dress code. Investigators state that Iranian security officials are employing a "state-sponsored policing" strategy, encouraging citizens to use dedicated mobile phone applications to report women allegedly violating dress codes in private vehicles such as taxis and ambulances.

The new report also highlights Iran's increasing use of drones and security cameras to monitor hijab compliance in Tehran and southern Iran. The consequences for women who defy or protest the law are severe, including arrest, beatings, and even rape while in detention. These findings come from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which previously determined last year that the country's theocracy was responsible for "physical violence" leading to the death of Mahsa Amini in custody in 2022.

Witnesses claim that the 22-year-old Kurdish woman was severely beaten by morality police during her arrest, but authorities deny she was abused and attribute her death to "sudden heart failure." Her death sparked massive waves of protests, which continue to this day despite the threat of violent arrest and imprisonment. "Two and a half years after the protests began in September 2022, women and girls in Iran continue to face systemic discrimination in law and in practice, which permeates all aspects of their lives, particularly in the enforcement of mandatory hijab," the report states.

The report further notes: "The State is increasingly relying on State-sponsored policing, apparently to enlist the participation of businesses and individuals in hijab compliance, portraying it as a civic responsibility." At Amir Kabir University in Tehran, authorities installed facial recognition software at its entrances to identify women not wearing headscarves. Surveillance cameras on major Iranian roads are also being used to find women with uncovered hair. Investigators also stated they obtained the "Nazer" mobile phone application provided by Iranian police, which allows "vetted" members of the public and police to report women without headscarves in vehicles, including ambulances, buses, subway cars, and taxis.

The report states: "Users can add the location, date, time, and license plate number of the vehicle where the alleged mandatory hijab violation occurred, and then 'flag' the vehicle online, alerting the police." According to the report, the registered owner of the vehicle is then sent a text message warning them that they have been found in violation of the mandatory hijab law. The report adds that if the warning is ignored, the vehicle may be impounded. UN investigators interviewed nearly 300 victims and witnesses, and they also delved into Iran's judicial system, calling it lacking in genuine independence. Victims of torture and other abuses are also persecuted, while their families are subjected to "systematic intimidation." They also uncovered evidence of the extrajudicial execution of three children and three adult protesters, which the state later dismissed as suicides.

The report also identified more cases of sexual violence occurring in detention, citing the case of one arrested woman who was severely beaten, subjected to two mock executions, raped, and then gang-raped. The report will be submitted to the Human Rights Council on March 18.