Iran has been plagued by weeks of unrest after a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody after being arrested by the Iranian morality police. Recently, the beleaguered country saw its morality police force suspended, following the nationwide protests. Also, the regime conducted public executions of protestors in efforts to deter more people from participating in anti-government demonstrations.
Officially termed the Guidance Patrol, the police unit has been present in major intersections and thoroughfares in Iranian cities for years, detaining those deemed in violation of the Islamic Republic’s stringent religious dress codes. The patrols appeared to vanish from Tehran’s streets soon after nationwide protests over the death of Amini, who slipped into a coma after being detained for her attire.