EPA
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:27
Lennard Swolfs
Foreign editor
Lennard Swolfs
Foreign editor
“Woman, life, freedom!” rang out in the streets of Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, exactly one year ago on Saturday. She was violently arrested by the moral police because, according to the officers, she was wearing her headscarf too loosely. It led to months of mass protests that were violently suppressed by the regime. But there is still resistance every day.
“The moral police keep harassing us and beating women, but I haven’t worn a headscarf since last year,” says 29-year-old Hania from Qazvin. She also wears short blouses instead of long, covering clothes. In Iran you can get hefty fines for this and even end up in prison. Iranians tell NOS that many women have been resisting in this way since last year’s protests.
The names of the speakers in this article have been changed for security reasons. The full names are known to the editors.
Those protests were the largest opposition movement in Iran in years. Iranians demanded freedom and the departure of the regime. The wave of protests was widely supported and quickly spread throughout the rest of the world. Videos appeared online of women cutting off a piece of hair in solidarity. Headscarves ended up on funeral pyres.
Here’s a look at what last year’s protests looked like, both in Iran and abroad:
AFP
Protest in Iran
EPA
Protest in Iran
EPA
In Germany
AFP
In Turkey
EPA
In France
The regime cracked down mercilessly. More than 500 demonstrators were killed and about 20,000 people ended up in prison. The NOS previously reported about the forced confessions and torture in those prisons. Several Iranians have been hanged for their participation in the protests.
After about six months, the protests subsided. The moral police, who had briefly disappeared from the streets, are now on full patrol again. There are also cameras in various places in the country to detect women who do not adhere to the dress code. Shops and companies that help women without headscarves are closed.
More repression
Parliament is discussing higher fines and prison sentences for non-compliance with the dress code. Fines could soon reach up to 8,000 euros and prison sentences of up to ten years. Yet Hania continues to resist. “Fortunately I have only had a few warnings. At such a moment I put on my headscarf and a street further on it comes off again.”
For others, repression works. “I prefer not to wear a headscarf, but I now wear it in the car,” says 28-year-old Laleh from Tehran. Women who do not do this can be traced via traffic cameras and then receive a warning by text message. After a number of warnings, the car is seized. Women can also be denied the right to health care and education.
Laleh points to the poor economic situation in Iran. Not everyone can afford to ignore the rules. Yet she also sees positive changes. “More and more men are now supporting us and want us to get our freedoms.”
Clashes with the police
“I fully support the women,” says Javad. He lives with his family in Tehran and lost his 20-year-old son in the protests. Now he encourages his wife and 14-year-old daughter to stop wearing a headscarf, although this sometimes leads to difficulties.
“At the market in Tehran, an officer told me in a threatening tone that my daughter had to wear her headscarf. My wife and I rebelled and other people also got involved. The officer quickly left.”
Several women told NOS that police officers are increasingly speaking to them in a calm manner about not wearing their headscarves. They think that the moral police are trying to prevent riots in this way for fear of escalation.
Middle East correspondent Daisy Mohr:
“It is difficult to say how great the threat is from this civil disobedience. But it certainly makes the authorities nervous. Because this is not just about not wearing a headscarf; many Iranians want much more freedoms.
With the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death approaching, extra measures are being taken. The regime of course also sees that anger and dissatisfaction and wants to prevent new protests at all costs.”
In the run-up to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death this Saturday, the regime is arresting many activists. Extra cameras have also been placed around her grave to prevent protests there. Amnesty International published last month a report about how relatives are intimidated and arbitrarily imprisoned.
AFPDThousands of demonstrators walk to the grave of Mahsa Amini on her 40th anniversary of death, October 26, 2022.
Javad is also under threat, he says. “I was called by the security services and had to appear at one of their offices. There they told me that I should not talk about my son’s death or seek an explanation for his death.”
Yet he does not intend to remain silent and will take to the streets again on Saturday. For weeks, people have been calling for protests on that day under the hashtag #MahsaDay. Hania is still unsure whether she will participate physically, but says she will share everything online to help make hashtags trending. “I don’t want the deaths of my fellow countrymen to be in vain.”
2023-09-14 04:27:29
#Year #Mahsa #Aminis #death #Irans #resistance #continues #Dont #wear #headscarf #anymore
