The wave of protests in Iran began on September 16, after the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrols), known as the “morality police. Women are calling for freedom and rights through large demonstrations, heavily repressed by the country’s authorities.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old of Iranian Kurdish origin, was arrested in Tehran by morality police on September 13 for wearing “improper attire.” Iranian law, based on an interpretation of Sharia (a set of norms derived from the Koran), requires women to cover their hair with a hijab (Islamic veil) and wear loose-fitting clothing. Mahsa’s death was announced three days after her arrest, and the report released by state media links the death to pre-existing medical conditions. However, the young woman’s father claimed that she suffered bruises on her legs and blamed the police for the death.
The case triggered a wave of demonstrations across the country, many women took to the streets to demand their rights. The mandatory hijab and shawl (full body cloak) or manteau (overcoat) and a headscarf have been present in the country since 1981, after the Islamic Revolution.
Deaths amid protests
According to the Iran Human Rights NGO, as of October 8, at least 185 deaths have been recorded in protests in Iran. Nineteen of these victims were children or teenagers. The country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, said at the UN General Assembly that the country allows freedom of expression, but that these protests are “chaotic and unacceptable acts.” Iran’s Intelligence Ministry disclosed that participation in the movement will be considered illegal and that the protesters will be prosecuted in the courts. The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Twitter that at least 28 journalists have been arrested.
Young Nika Shakarami, 16, is among the women who lost their lives amidst the fight for rights. She left her home on September 20 to participate in one of the protests and was harassed. After her disappearance for two days, the police informed the family about a body that matched Nika’s description. They said that the young woman had fallen from a certain height and showed photographs that appeared to be staged, according to family members. The body was not turned over to the family and she was buried by the authorities, a day after what would have been her 17th birthday.
Hadis Najafi, 22, also met the same end, after sharing a video on a social network on her way to a protest, saying “I hope that in a few years when I look back, I will be happy that everything has changed for the better, “she was killed an hour later.” Hadis’ mother reported on Instagram that her daughter was hit by bullets, “when we looked at her, her face and body were wounded.” The family has been instructed to say that the young woman died in a car accident or of natural causes and is forbidden from holding a public funeral.
Worldwide Repercussion
The wave of protests in Iran has attracted worldwide attention, with many people expressing support through social media. AbirAl-Sahlani, a Swedish member of parliament of Iraqi origin, cut her hair during a session of the European Parliament as an act of solidarity. French actresses such as Juliette Binoche and Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Isabelle Adjani, English actress Charlotte Rampling and Italian singer and model Carla Bruni also repeated the act on their social networks.
In addition to the demonstrations, Amnesty International is calling for an investigation into the torture allegations and Human Rights Watch is calling for the abolition of the hijab law.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Islamic Revolution
Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran was ruled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of the Pahlavi dynasty. Crown Prince Mohammed became the last Shah in 1941.
In his government women had no dress restrictions, Farah Pahlavi, wife of the Shah, used to wear western clothes and was considered an example of a modern woman. In an interview with BBC, Iranian journalist Faranak Amidi said that there was no gender segregation before the revolution and that with Mohamed Reza Pahlevi the country began to modernize. This period became known as the White Revolution, in 1963 women got the vote and the same political rights as men. Access to education was expanded, family protection laws were passed in different areas, such as marriage and divorce, and women reached positions of power, such as a judge. Despite social freedoms, political freedom was restricted, all parties were controlled by the king, and there was no freedom of the press and no political activism.
Such restrictions led to discontent, the street became the scene of protests in 1978 against the Shah’s regime. Thus, towards the end of his rule, the progress made by women began to destabilize and Mohamed Reza Pahlevi withdrew his support for greater participation of women in decision-making positions.
In favor of democracy, Iranians brought about the fall of the Shah in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. However, the desire for freedom and improvement was thwarted, on March 7, 1979, the leader of the revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, decreed that hijabs would be mandatory for all women in their workplaces and that he considered uncovered women “naked.”
From 1979 on schools became segregated, unrelated men and women who socialized with each other were arrested, laws protecting women’s rights were repealed, and in 1981 the law regulating Iranian women’s clothing came into effect. In the face of resistance, in 1983 the parliament decided that women who did not cover their hair in public could be punished with 74 lashes, and recently it added up to 60 days in prison. The severity of the punishments imposed varies over the years, according to the president in power.
During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidential campaign in 2004, the politician sought to convey a progressive image. After his election victory, the Gasht-e Ershad was formally established, which became the “morality police,” such activity previously done by other police and paramilitary units, on an informal basis.
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The article above was edited by Giullia Cartaxo.
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