Iran has been in the midst of a wave of mass demonstrations since the announcement of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was accused by the morality police of improperly wearing the compulsory veil in the Islamic Republic.
• Why was Mahsa Amini arrested?
The young woman, 22 years old and originally from Iranian Kurdistan, in the west of the country, was with her family in Tehran for a few days when she was arrested on Sunday by the moral police.
This police agency patrols cities throughout the country to identify, among other things, possible violations of the dress code in force since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
In Iran, women are required to cover their hair in public from the age of 7. If all hair should theoretically be covered according to Iranian law, the morality police can practice some tolerance in urban areas and for foreign women.
In this case, Mahsa Amini was wearing her headscarf “badly” according to the patrol that stopped her. She would have left too much hair out of her, thus breaking the law.
Iranian laws also prohibit women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight pants and ripped jeans, as well as brightly colored outfits, among other things. Again, the strict enforcement of these prohibitions varies from place to place.
Enforcement of these rules was relaxed under former President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who notably accused the morality police of being too aggressive. In 2017, the leader of this force said that he would no longer arrest women for violating the dress code.
But under Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner elected last year, the morality police seem to have gone mad. The UN human rights office says young women have been slapped, beaten with batons and pushed into police vehicles in recent months.
• What do we know about the circumstances of his death in custody?
After her arrest described as “violent” by several witnesses, Mahsa Amini slipped into a coma. He then lost his life on September 16, according to state television and the girl’s family.
However, the authorities explained that the young woman had died of “heart problems”, video in support. A difficult version to confirm, the recording is not of good quality. Especially since the Amini family denies any pre-existing health condition that could lead to death in this way.
• How did the protests start?
The first big demonstration took place on the day of Mahsa Amini’s funeral in his city of Saqqez. Several hundred people gathered for the ceremony.
At the same time, the protest was organized through social networks. Many women have filmed themselves burning their scarves or cutting their hair.
Since then, the demonstrations have won several cities in the country, including Tehran, but also Mashhad (northeast), Tabriz (northwest), Rasht (north), Isfahan (center) and Kish (south).
These protest movements have spread in the universities. Traders have also decided don’t raise the curtain in protest.
• How did the Iranian authorities react?
Faced with the anger caused by this death, a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Kurdistan went to the home of Masha Amini’s family on Monday.
The envoy told the family that “measures will be taken” and that Ayatollah Khamenei was “sore” by the death. “As I promised the Amini family, I will follow the case to the end,” he said.
But these statements did not prevent a massive crackdown on the protests.
In Tehran, where dozens were injured after police opened fire on protesters, Governor Mansouri said the protests were “organized for the sole purpose of creating unrest.”
In Iranian Kurdistan, Governor Ismail Zarei Koosha reported at least three deaths. He called these deaths “suspicious, part of a plot fomented by the enemy.”
He also claimed that one of the victims was killed by a type of weapon not used by Iranian forces. At this time, the death of at least five protesters is recorded, after the confirmation today of two deaths in Kermanshah province.
At the same time, access to the Internet has been severely restricted, as reported on Sunday by the NetBlocks site, which specializes in observing and analyzing Internet accesses and flows around the world.
As such, billionaire Elon Musk has announced that he wants to use his Starlink satellite system to provide continuous internet access to all Iranians.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, French President Emmanuel Macron said after an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raïsi that he had “insisted on respect for women’s rights” in Iran.
The acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, expressed “concern over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini (…) and the violent reaction of the security forces to the demonstrations”, and called for “impartial action” and “independent” investigation.
Faced with these condemnations, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Nasser Kanani, condemned on Tuesday night what he described as “interfering foreign positions.”
“It is unfortunate that some countries are trying to take advantage of an incident under investigation to pursue their political goals and wishes against the Iranian government and people,” the official said.
• What is the position of Iranian public opinion?
In the demonstrations, the claims do not refer only to the specific case of the death of Mahsa Amani. The demonstrators demand in particular the end of the obligation to wear the veil in general and the repression exercised by the morality police.
Some demand the end of the regime, without being able to guarantee their representativeness within the movement.
But for some observers, the current protests are unprecedented. BBC journalist Rana Rahimpour, who lived there for 25 years and covered Iranian news for 15, said the scenes were “unlike anything she had seen in the past”.
To understand what a more moderate sector of the population thinks, you have to turn to the deputies of Madjles, the Iranian parliament. Following the tradition of former President Rouhani, the protest movement finds an echo among several Iranian politicians who have spoken out against the morality police.
“To avoid the repetition of such cases, the methods used by these targeting patrols … should be reviewed,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.
More radical, another parliamentarian announced his intention to propose the total abolition of this force.
“I think that due to the ineffectiveness of Gasht-e Ershad in transmitting the hijab culture, this unit should be removed, so that the children of this country will not be afraid when they encounter this force,” Moeenoddin said. Saeedi.
For the Organization for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, an influential organization affiliated with the Iranian state, “we must stop arresting and prosecuting people who wear their veils incorrectly because this has the effect of increasing social tensions. law must be amended so that it is considered only as a crime”.
Source: BFM TV
