Bloodshed, Rallies, and Riots: The Truth about Iran

Bloodshed, Rallies, and Riots: The Terrifying Truth About Women in Iran

I cannot imagine a world where the government dictates what I, as a woman, can or cannot wear. My school has dress codes, of course, but they are fairly simple and rarely enforced. Women around the world, especially in countries such as Iran, do not have such leniency. In fact, in some countries, a simple infraction, such as showing a few strands of hair, can result in jail time or even death.

This was what happened to Masha Amini. The twenty-two year old Iranian was arrested by Iran’s “morality police” on September 16, 2022, for violating their rules. According to CNN, she was then relocated to a police station for “re-education.” While in police custody, she collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where she passed away. The official police report was that she had died from a heart attack while in police custody, but many people do not believe that this is true. Instead, the belief is that Amini collapsed from her wounds, wounds that were inflicted by the police while she was in their custody.

Amini’s death set off a wave of demonstrations across Iran and around the world, all protesting the Iranian police’s brutality and unfair laws. From the Iranian capital, Tehran (where Amini was arrested), to Berlin to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, tens of thousands of Iranian emigrants and supporters took to the streets to protest the strict rules and regulations that women have to follow. According to NPR, Iranian human rights groups have stated that over 200 people have been killed during these protests. Some of the dead included young women who were protesting the oppressive hijab laws. According to the BBC, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, all women (whether or not they were Muslims or Iranian citizens) had to wear loose-fitting clothing and a hijab or headscarf when in public. These regulations apply to everyone, even tourists visiting the nation. If a woman does not abide by these rules, she can be punished with anything from a fine to a prison sentence to a beating. The laws are enforced by authorities who are allowed to stop women on the street if they are wearing clothing that is deemed inappropriate (i.e., too short or too close-fitting), are showing too much hair, or are wearing too much makeup. These claims of inappropriateness are completely based on personal opinion, something that has angered women for decades. This anger boiled over after Mahsa Amini’s death and led to an increase in demonstrations similar to those that occurred in 2009 after the Iranian presidential elections.

These protests are still going strong over a month after Amini’s death. CNN covered a speech by Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, on Saturday, October 29th. In this speech, he declared that “Today is the last day of the riots. Do not come to the streets again. What do you want from this nation?” Most of the riots have occurred on college campuses, where students have clashed with plainclothes policemen that have been located on the campuses. Although the military has ordered the protests to cease, it is highly unlikely that they will. Many citizens are incensed about what happened and are demonstrating their anger through protests and riots.

Protests and rallies are not the only way that women are resisting the dictatorial Iranian regime’s rules. Elnaz Rekabi is a female rock climber from Iran. In early October, she competed in a rock-climbing contest in South Korea without her hijab. According to the Guardian, while she was greeted with a hero’s welcome in Tehran, she was later detained and possibly put on house arrest. She offered an apology for climbing without her hijab (a rule for Iranian female athletes competing outside of Iran), but many of her fans believe that the apology was faked or forced out. An unidentified source who spoke to BBC Persian stated that “Rekabi’s family was threatened with the seizure of…her family’s property unless she made the ‘forced confession.’” Although the stories are only rumors and have not been confirmed by the Iranian regime, they appear to paint a picture of a dictatorship that wants to control women and prevent them from having any personal freedoms.

Famous journalists are also protesting the Iranian government. Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Anchor, was scheduled to meet with Iranian president Ebriahim Raisi on Sept. 21 of this year, but refused the interview after Raisi demanded she wear a headscarf or hijab when talking to him. According to CNN, Amanpour, who was raised in Tehran, had abided by the Iranian law that required any woman in Iran to wear a headscarf and loose fitting clothing while she was in the country on a journalism job, but has always refused to cover up in a country that does not demand this action.

“Here in New York, or anywhere else outside of Iran, I have never been asked by any Iranian president – and I have interviewed every single one of them since 1995 – either inside or outside of Iran, never been asked to wear a headscarf,” Amanpour explained. CNN stated that Raisi’s aide wanted Amanpour to wear a headscarf out of respect for Raisi and the holy months of Muharram and Safar, but Amanpour refused and the interview was canceled.

People across the country can help support the Iranian protests. Many petitions related to the protests and resulting governmental actions have been circulating online, including one that calls for the end of bloodshed in Iran and for the United Nations to establish an independent mechanism that would investigate Iranian crimes committed under international law. More information about how to help support those in Iran, as well as a link to the petition mentioned above, is located here: 7 Ways You Can Support Iranian Protesters Right Now.

Police brutality in Iran is not a new phenomenon. It has occured for decades every time someone in law enforcement used their powerful position to wrong someone else, usually because of their race, gender, or sexuality. Before, instances would have been covered up and the families of the victims have remained silent for fear of retaliation. Now, the stories of those who have fallen victim to a brutal practice are spread across the world, spurring protests and starting rallies. Although the individual voices may have been silenced, many survivors are no longer letting the injustices stand. They are spreading the word and speaking up against the prejudice so many Iranians face each day. The stories of the victims and survivors alike are inspiring change, and hopefully, will bring justice to those who were wronged, both in the present and in the past.