In the past two weeks protests have been erupting over Iran’s strict rules on the hijab. The protests have spread over 20 cities including the capital Tehran. 31 civilians have died.
This all started when a 22-year-old Kurdish woman called Mahsa Amini died in the hospital on the 16th of September after spending three days in a coma. She was visiting the capital Tehran with her family on the 13th of September when the morality police arrested her for violating the law that a woman must wear a hijab and loose clothing. She later collapsed after being sent to a detention center to be educated.
The police and government have said it was caused by sudden heart failure, however her father Mr Amini has rejected these claims by the authorities stating he believes ”they are lying” as “she has not been in any hospitals at all in the past 22 years”.
The UN has called for an independent investigation into Ms. Amini’s death and so far Human Rights Chief Nada Al-Nashif has said she knows of numerous events where the mortality police have treated women violently when enforcing their clothing and hijab rules.
These laws are not being enforced by official police they are being enforced by the Gasht-e Ershad (guidance patrols). These are special police whose job it is to ensure the respect of Islamic morals. Under Iranian law, based on their interpretation of Sharia, women must wear a hijab aswell as long and loose-fitting clothes.
The Gasht-e Ershad work in teams of six; four men and two women. They will wait for in popular areas and watch for women breaking the rules. In one interview, a guidance patrol officer said “it’s like we are going out for a hunt.”
Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta platforms have now been restricted in Iran. Therefore it is essential to spread this information and try and raise awareness.