The decision by Tehran prosecutors to open judicial proceedings against organizers of a 10-kilometer race after women participated without head coverings highlights the persistent criminalization of women’s personal choices and the broader erosion of fundamental rights in Iran.

The proceedings, announced on September 19, 2026, target organizers after images of women running without headscarves circulated publicly. The case extends enforcement beyond the women themselves to those responsible for creating spaces in which women can participate in ordinary public activities without being subjected to compulsory dress requirements.

Background

The race took place on 18 September at Velayat Park in Tehran, with separate categories for women and men. Videos shared online showed women participating in sportswear without head coverings. Shortly thereafter, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office announced judicial proceedings against event organizers and officials for allegedly failing to comply with “legal and religious standards,” without specifying the provisions purportedly violated or identifying those under investigation.

The event had reportedly received the necessary authorization, while provincial sports authorities stated that participants had been required to commit to complying with Islamic standards before the race. The prosecution therefore raises broader concerns about holding organizers criminally liable for participants’ conduct, particularly where activities have been officially approved.

The case follows a similar incident at the Kish Island Marathon in December 2025, when two organizers were arrested after women participated without hijabs. Although later released on bail, they reportedly remained subject to judicial supervision and restrictions on their professional activities. The repeated targeting of organizers suggests that enforcement of mandatory dress codes extends beyond individual women to those who facilitate their participation in public life.

Mandatory hijab requirements remain embedded in Iran’s legal framework, despite reports that implementation of the more restrictive “Chastity and Hijab” law has been suspended. UN investigators have documented arrests and the use of force against women and girls accused of violating mandatory hijab rules, including in Tehran and other cities.

Institutional Position

Participation in sport is an ordinary exercise of public and social life. Penalizing women for non-compliance with state-imposed dress rules restricts their equal participation and subjects their bodies and appearance to coercive public regulation.

Prosecuting event organizers further entrenches that pressure by making sports institutions responsible for enforcing discriminatory dress requirements. It risks turning access to public activities into a means of compelling compliance with state-mandated clothing rules.

International human rights law does not permit restrictions on fundamental rights solely on religious or moral grounds. The UN Human Rights Committee has recognized that laws regulating women’s clothing may engage rights to equality and non-discrimination, as well as other Covenant rights, and must meet the requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality.

Applicable Legal Framework

Iran is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 18 protects freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to hold or adopt a belief of one's choice; Article 19 protects freedom of expression; and Articles 2, 3 and 26 require equal enjoyment of Covenant rights and protection against discrimination. The Human Rights Committee has emphasized that freedom of thought and conscience cannot be restricted and that limitations on the manifestation of religion or belief must be necessary and proportionate and may not be imposed or applied in a discriminatory manner.

These guarantees apply alongside the right to privacy under Article 17 and the broader obligation to ensure equality between women and men in the enjoyment of Covenant rights. Measures that criminalize women’s clothing, or punish third parties for enabling women to participate in public life without complying with compulsory dress rules, must therefore be assessed against these obligations.

Demands Aligned with International Human Rights Principles

Women should not face criminal proceedings, exclusion from public activities or coercive state intervention because of what they choose to wear. Nor should sports organizers and other institutions be placed under pressure to enforce discriminatory dress requirements on the state's behalf. Respect for equality, bodily autonomy, freedom of expression and freedom of belief requires ending the use of criminal law to regulate women's participation in ordinary public life.

Women Journalists Without Chains
Geneva, Switzerland — September 20, 2026