Marathon organiser arrested in Iran for allowing women to race without hijab, credit: X/AlinejadMasih
The Islamic Republic of Iran is again in news due to its dressing laws for women. The Iranian judiciary on Saturday (6th December 2025) ordered the arrest of organizer of a marathon who permitted the women to compete who were not wearing hijab (headscarf). The judgement came after photos of women not wearing hijab surfed on internet as they competed in the race on Friday i.e. 5th December 2025.
The marathon took place on Kish Island off the southern coast of Iran and around 2,000 women and 3000 men participated in the marathon separately. As per the BBC report the women were wearing red t-shirts but some of them were not wearing hijab.
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported on Saturday that “Two of the main organisers of the competition were arrested on warrants. One of those arrested is an official in the Kish free zone, and the other works for the private company that organised the race”
This judgement received mixed reactions in Iran. The Iranian who advocates for a change in the Islamic Republic of Iran showcased the incident that Iranian women are rejecting the restriction imposed by the administration on what they can wear while the Iranian official called the incident an unacceptable challenge to the status quo.
The prosecutor argued on the incident that the manner in which the marathon was organised was itself a violation of public decency.
A local prosecutor told to media that “Despite previous warnings regarding the need to comply with the country’s current laws and regulations, as well as religious, customary, and professional principles … the event was held in a way that violated public decency”
This is not for the first time when there is a such controversy revolving around Iran and its Islamic Administration, three years ago a mass protest erupted in Iran when a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini died in the administrational custody after being detained for breaching dress code policy.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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