Citing domestic Islamic religious decrees and common law, Isfahan city prosecutor Ali Isfahani\u00a0announced\u00a0on May 14, 2019, a ban\u00a0on female bicyclists.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on fatwas by religious scholars as well as the law, bicycling by women in public spaces is a sinful act,\u201d Isfahani told the state-funded Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).<\/p>\n
The prosecutor also announced that an \u201cOffice for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice\u201d had been established \u201cin accordance with the law\u201d to prevent women bicyclists from publicly engaging in the activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a long time, Friday prayer leaders and families of martyrs complained about women riding bicycles in public areas and there were some cases of assault and harassment against these women,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn response, the police have been instructed to give a polite warning if they see a woman riding a bicycle in the city for the first time and take her identification document, and if she doesn\u2019t have one, they should impound the bicycle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Isfahani continued: \u201cFirst-time offenders will have to go to the security police and sign a pledge. They will not be punished and their personal documents and bicycles will be returned. If they repeat this sinful act two or three times, they will be punished in accordance with the\u00a0Islamic Penal Code.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Iran\u2019s 1979 Islamic Revolution, religious conservatives and hardline officials have condemned women\u2019s engagement in public exercise activities that are freely enjoyed by men, often describing them as \u201cimmoral.\u201d<\/p>\n