road traffic
Iran wants to punish covered license plates with imprisonment
A mask is used to cover the number plate of the moped. photo
© Arne Bänsch/dpa
Iranians are currently finding creative ways to cover their license plates – probably also in protest against the vice squad. The police are now issuing a threat.
Face masks in front of the number plates of small mopeds, bent stickers, black plastic covers: because many Iranians are currently covering their number plates, the police in the Iranian capital have issued a sharp warning to road users.
A high-ranking police officer in Tehran warned today that it is a criminal offense – between six months and one year in prison are planned, as reported by the state news agency IRNA.
symbol of protest
Residents in Tehran report that there are several reasons for the phenomenon of covering license plates. On the one hand, road users wanted to avoid fines, as in the past.
What is new, however, is that many women on small mopeds are now disregarding the mandatory headscarf, a sign of protest after the serious uprisings in autumn. To avoid penalties from the newly rolled out video surveillance, many people cover their signs.
The trigger for the protests in autumn was the death of the young Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. She had been arrested by the Morality Police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code.
After the rigorous action of the state apparatus, everyday life has returned, but many women find creative ways of civil disobedience, for example by demonstratively disregarding the headscarf requirement in public.