Iran police disperse pro-hijab protesters outside parliament

Iranian police have dispersed a weeks-long sit-in by demonstrators supporting the mandatory head covering for women, state media reported, after authorities deemed the gathering illegal.

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The demonstrators -- largely women in black full-body robes -- staged the sit-in since last month outside the parliament building in Tehran.

Since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, women have been required to conceal their hair in public. However, increasing numbers, particularly in major cities including the capital Tehran, have pushed the boundaries by allowing the covering to slide back.

The protesters were calling for the implementation of a bill imposing tougher penalties on women who refuse to wear the covering, known as a hijab.