ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Tehran’s prosecutor’s office on Saturday announced it had initiated legal proceedings against organizers of a marathon in the capital after women runners were seen without the mandatory hijab, semi-official media reported.

A women’s road race took place Friday at Tehran’s Velayat Park, with videos showing participants running without head coverings going viral on social media, in violation of Iran’s mandatory dress and modesty laws.

“Following the holding of a marathon race at Velayat Park—during which legal and religious standards were not observed—the Tehran prosecutor’s office has filed charges against the event's organizers and those responsible for the competition, and has opened a judicial case against them,” semi-official Fars news agency reported.

A similar case occurred in early December 2025, when Iranian authorities filed a lawsuit against organizers of a marathon on Kish Island, off Iran’s southern coast, after images showed women participating without hijab.

Following the 1979 revolution, the newly proclaimed Islamic Republic declared wearing the hijab compulsory for women. Those who fail to observe the hijab policy risk facing arrest or financial penalties.

Adherence to the hijab law became increasingly sporadic after nationwide protests erupted in September 2022 following the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez who was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab loosely and died in police custody hours later.

Her death sparked Iran’s largest protest movement in more than four decades. Iranian authorities responded with a heavy crackdown, during which more than 500 people were killed and tens of thousands arrested.

The fourth anniversary of Amini’s death fell on Wednesday, when Kurdish-majority cities in western Iran (Rojhelat) largely went on general strike.

Security forces summoned and warned people against participating in the strikes ahead of the anniversary, with at least 10 people arrested in connection with the event, the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization said late Wednesday.

Since Amini’s death, Kurds in Iran have held general strikes on the anniversary in her honor and in solidarity with her family, as a form of protest against state repression.