Iranian authorities are to use cameras in public places to identify women who violate the country’s hijab law, state media reported.
Women in Iran risk arrest for not covering their hair. Many have been defying the mandatory dress code as part of the widespread protests that followed the death of a young woman in custody for allegedly violating hijab rules.
Authorities, though, show no sign of backing down on the issue.
“In an innovative measure and in order to prevent tension and conflicts in implementing the hijab law, Iranian police will use smart cameras in public places to identify people who break the norms,” the state-aligned Tasnim news agency quoted police as saying.
After the women have been identified, they would be sent warning messages which detail the specific time and place they had “violated” the law, according to Tasnim.
“In the context of preserving values, protecting family privacy and maintaining the mental health and peace of mind of the community, any kind of individual or collective behavior against the law, will not be tolerated,” Tasnim reported.
A viral video earlier this month showed a man throwing yogurt on two women for not wearing the hijab.
Both were later arrested for breaking Iran’s dress code.
France: 4 Bodies Found After Marseille Building Collapse
French authorities said the death toll rose to four people after two bodies were found Monday in the rubble following an explosion that collapsed a building in the southern French city of Marseille
MARSEILLE – Two bodies were found Monday in the rubble following an explosion that collapsed a building in the southern French city of Marseille, bringing the confirmed death toll to four as rescuers continue searching for four more people who are unaccounted-for.
Two other bodies had previously been found overnight. The judicial authority will proceed to identify the victims, firefighters said in a statement.
Minister for Cities and Housing Olivier Klein told reporters that at least four people have died, after he met with rescuers on site.
“The hope to find survivors is still there,” Minister for Cities and Housing Olivier Klein told reporters. “It is very meticulous work done by firefighters,” he added, noting the risk for adjacent buildings to collapse. More than 100 firefighters were mobilized for the searches.
Marseille mayor Benoit Payan tweeted Monday that “the pain and sorrow are great.” He expressed his thoughts for the families of the victims and “those who are suffering.”
“Rescue and search operations are continuing, without respite,” he said.
An investigation has been opened for involuntary injury, at least initially sidestepping possible criminal intentions. A gas explosion was among the avenues of investigation, prosecutor Dominique Laurens said Sunday evening.
The collapse occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, in an old quarter in the center of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, less than a kilometer (a half-mile) from its iconic old port. About 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in the area.
In 2018, two buildings in the center of Marseille collapsed, killing eight people. Those buildings were poorly maintained — not the case with the building that collapsed Sunday, the interior minister said.
