(Photo : AFP via Getty Images)
The recent demonstrations stand out because of the diverse participants and widespread Iranian resistance in multiple locations.
Iranian women are burning their hijabs and cutting their hair short in protest at the death of Mahsa Amini, a young lady who died after being imprisoned in Tehran by Iran's "morality police."
She was with her brother in Tehran when morality police detained her for violating the law mandating women to cover their hair, arms, and legs with loose clothing. She collapsed at a correctional facility and soon after went into a coma, according to BBC.
Nada al-Nashif, the acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, claimed that there were claims that police struck Ms. Amini's head with a baton and slammed her head against a car.
The victim's father alleged that she was killed by beatings. According to eyewitness accounts cited by Amini's family, cops beat her in the police vehicle following her detention. Police claim Amini died of a heart attack after being hospitalized.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi promised Amini's family a full investigation, NPR reported.
He said: "Your daughter is like my own daughter, and I feel that this incident happened to one of my loved ones."
Mohseni Ejei, Iran's chief justice, also has pledged an investigation. The United Nations demanded an unbiased investigation into Amini's demise.
Massive Unrest Erupts Following Amini's Death
Since the news spread, protesters in more than 50 Iranian cities have gone to the streets. Authorities reportedly have killed up to 36 individuals during protests and detained several journalists, campaigners, and human rights advocates. The government has restricted internet access to conceal the situation's full image.
These women in #Iran’s northern city of Sari are dancing and burning their headscarves… anti-regime protests have now spread to dozens of cities from north to south, east to west… all triggered by the death of #MahsaAmini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. pic.twitter.com/BBDvgC5L1w
— Rana Rahimpour (@ranarahimpour) September 20, 2022
The latest protests occur when Iran's financial situation is exceedingly precarious, and a substantial section of the population lives in poverty. This is in part due to the effects of US sanctions on Iran's nuclear program, as well as the general state of the world economy and the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Over the past few years, protesters have often challenged the oppressive regime, frequently airing their economic frustrations. Iranian resistance politics have always placed a strong emphasis on women, even before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The latest protests stand out because of the variety of participants and the extensive nature of Iranian opposition in both large and small cities.
The Power of Iran's Morality Police
All Iranian women are required to adhere to a strict dress code that includes covering their heads in public and dressing in loose-fitting garments to hide their bodies after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The "Gasht-e Ershad" (Guidance Patrols) morality police are in charge of, among other things, making sure ladies dress according to what the authorities consider to be "appropriate."
Officers have the authority to stop women and determine if their hair is showing excessively, whether their overcoats and pants are too short or tight, or whether they are sporting excessive amounts of makeup. Fines, jail time, or public whipping are possible penalties for breaking the law.
In 2014, Iranian women started posting pictures and videos online showing themselves openly disobeying the hijab restrictions as part of a "My Stealthy Freedom" online protest campaign. Other initiatives, such as "White Wednesdays" and "Girls of Revolution Street," have subsequently been influenced by it.
International Crisis Group analyst Ali Vaez was moved by the images of youngsters retaliating against the authorities. He said that such scenes "were unimaginable" 10 or 20 years ago, as per a report from Vox.
"The Islamic Republic can no longer maintain control over this society. They might be able to buy time through repression, but they won't be able to address the fundamental causes of these protests," he noted.
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