ALBAWABA- Iranian authorities have arrested two organizers of the Kish Island marathon after videos emerged showing several female participants running without the mandatory hijab, the island’s public prosecutor announced on Saturday.
The race, held on Friday with more than 5,000 runners, has ignited a fresh wave of controversy over Iran’s enforcement of dress-code laws.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, one of the detainees is an official with the Kish Free Zone Organization, while the second works for the private company that managed the event.
Both men have been formally charged and released on conditional bail pending investigation. Judicial restrictions now bar the government officials from holding any senior post and prohibit the private organizer from managing or hosting sports events.
The marathon drew sharp criticism from conservative media, which denounced it as a violation of mandatory hijab rules in place since the 1980s.
The incident comes at a tense moment in Iran’s internal debate over dress-code enforcement, with lawmakers pressuring the judiciary for stricter measures while President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government has refused to ratify a parliamentary bill that would impose tougher penalties for hijab violations.
