Iran's intensified crackdown on women defies reform promises
The campaign against women in Iran is intensifying. The morality police are persecuting them for improperly wearing or not wearing a hijab. Women are being brutally detained. Despite promises of possible law relaxation, the President has done nothing on this issue.
According to Iranian law introduced after the Islamic Revolution, every woman must cover her hair in public places. A special morality police force enforces this.
In 2022, Kurdish Mahsa Amini was detained for wearing her hijab too loosely. The 22-year-old was beaten by officers, leading to massive protests.
Recently, there was much attention regarding the case of Agou Daryaei, a university student in Tehran. The woman was condemned by militants for inappropriate attire, so in protest, she stripped down to her underwear and walked around the university courtyard. She was detained, brutally treated, and then taken in an unknown direction—according to media reports, she was taken to a psychiatric hospital. Human rights organisations directly call it an "abduction."
This is not the first time authorities have pacified protesting women and tried to convince them of mental disorders. Azem Jangrawi, in 2018, during one of the protests, removed her hijab. Today, she recounts how the authorities arrested her and forced her to sign a document declaring mental health problems.
Campaign of light
The situation of women has worsened due to a new law enacted in April, under which the authorities are conducting a campaign called "Noor" ("light" in Persian).
- The efforts to punish women without the hijab should be doubled - said Tehran's mayor, Alireza Zakani, at the time. Police Chief Ghasem Rezaei, on the other hand, said that officers "are proud to implement God’s command."
New regulations involve hefty fines and even imprisonment for not complying with dress codes. This leads to brutal detentions, which are often seen on recordings shared on social media.
Young women report how, for example, the morality police do not allow them to enter the metro if their hair is not covered. The traffic police also cooperate with the morality police, stopping vehicles as soon as they see a woman without a hijab inside.
The new Iranian president, reformist Masud Pezeshkian, announced that he would strive to relax the regulations. - The morality police were not supposed to confront [women]. I will follow up so they don't bother" them, he declared. However, experts point out that since July, when he was sworn in, he has done nothing to improve the situation for women.
