Iran scraps morality police after months of protests

Iran has abolished the morality police, according to an announcement by the attorney general on state media after months of protests set off by the force for allegedly violating the country's strict Islamic dress laws.

The decision, reported by state news outlets late Saturday night, appeared to be a major victory for feminists who have tried to dismantle the force for years and the protest movement ignited by the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, 22, in September. The unrest was one of the biggest challenges facing Iran's system of authoritarian clerical rule in decades and the decision to scrap the morality police was the government's first major concession to the protesters.

According to state media reports, the morality police was abolished by the same authorities who installed it, according to the statement by Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri. He went on to suggest that the judiciary would still enforce restrictions on social behavior. He also indicated that the authorities were reviewing the head scarf regulations. It was not clear whether the authorities planned to relax the hijab law, which remained in force.