June 17, 2022
A boxer on Iran’s national team was shot by police in May when he forcefully objected to their trying to discipline his wife for having an inadequate headcovering. Reza Moradkhani said he was walking in Tehran’s Pardisan Park with his wife, Maria Arefi, and their 11-month-old daughter. Following an argument with police, they pepper-sprayed the couple and even the infant, he said. He said he then charged one of the officers, who fired about 10 shots, hitting him with four and sending him to the hospital, from which he has now been released. The couple filed a complaint with the military court, which oversees the police, but the judge dismissed the case and charged the couple with violating the dress code and assaulting a police officer.
