First vice police, now hijab law?
Protests are urging the Iranian regime to make changes
The protests in Iran are apparently moving the high ranks of the repressive regime. While the propaganda tries to maintain the controlling facade, the reports of the past few days show otherwise. Now the hijab law is also to be reviewed.
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The death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 sparked a wave of mass protests against the repressive government in Iran.
For weeks, people in Iran have been demonstrating against the repressive regime. The nationwide protests were triggered after Mahsa Amini († 22) died in police custody in September 2022. The young woman had been arrested by the vice squad for allegedly violating the strict hijab law. A few strands of hair are said to have peeked out from under her headscarf.
This law is now to be reviewed, as Attorney General Mohammed Jafar Montaseri announced according to a CNN report. “As someone who deals with this issue, I can say that both parliament and the judiciary are working on it,” he is quoted as saying by the state news agency Isna. So far, however, there are no indications as to whether and what changes to the law could be imminent.
Protests spark concern among Iranian sentiment
After the country was gripped by a wave of mass protests, the regime only knows how to use violence and deadly force against its own people. According to human rights activists, around 470 demonstrators were killed, including 64 children and 60 security forces. The government still pretends to have everything under control. But the facade is beginning to crumble.
Only on Sunday did a conversation leaked by the hacker group “Black Reward” reveal how concerned the government is apparently about the extent of the protests. The participants in the discussion around the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (83) confirmed that the demonstrations are taking on a larger scale than the regime has previously admitted to the outside: The demonstrations are supported by broad sections of the population.
The regime representatives are therefore concerned that more women could join the protests, for which Iranian women without headscarves are a role model. The media war was “completely lost”.
Morality police had already been abolished
Also on Sunday, the daily newspaper “Shargh” quoted the Iranian Attorney General Montaseri as saying: “The vice squad has been disbanded, but the judiciary will continue to deal with this societal challenge.”
This could be an important partial success for the demonstrators, since the dreaded vice squad, who are primarily responsible for enforcing the dress code, were the trigger for the protests. The Iranian state media firmly reject these statements. (hey)