Iran prosecutor general signals 'morality police' suspended

Tehran, Iran – Iran has suspended its morality police as the country continues to deal with two months of protests, the Iranian prosecutor general has suggested. The protests erupted shortly after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by a unit of the morality police in Tehran for allegedly not adhering to the country's mandatory dress code for women. Speaking on Saturday at an event aimed at "outlining the hybrid war during recent riots", which is how Iranian officials describe alleged foreign influence in the unrest, prosecutor general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying by local media the morality police operations are over. The morality police "has no connection with the judiciary and was shut down by the same place that it had been launched from in the past", he said, reportedly answering a question on why the morality police has been shut down. There were no other confirmations that work of the patrolling units – officially tasked with ensuring "moral security" in the society – has been terminated.