Iranian police have shut down the office of Turkish Airlines in Tehran after local female employees refused to comply with Iran’s hijab law, the country’s media reported on Tuesday.
Officers reportedly visited the airline on Monday to deliver their first warning over “non-observance of hijab,” the Islamic headscarf which is mandatory for women in Iran.
However, the employees “made trouble for the police officers” by refusing to wear hijab, prompting the closure of the office, according to Tasnim news agency.
The sealed Turkish Airlines premises might reopen on Wednesday, the media said, but police have not confirmed the information. According to Turkish media, Turkish Airlines did not immediately comment on the incident.
The hijab became compulsory for women in Iran following the 1979 revolution. Women who do not wear a headscarf or are deemed to be wearing it improperly can face fines or imprisonment. Last year, Iranian MPs pushed for stricter punishments for violations of Tehran’s religious dress code, including prison sentences of up to a decade for those involved in organized protests against the law.
In 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, while in the custody of Iran’s ‘morality police’ after being accused of breaking the hijab mandate sparked months of violent protests across Iran, resulting in thousands of arrests.