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In Wednesday’s protests in Iran, women took off their hijabs and in some cases burned them. These atypical demonstrations in the Persian country showed the fury of many Iranians after the death of Mahsa Amini, after being arrested by the Moral Police, for not wearing the veil “correctly”. In other countries such as Lebanon and Turkey, women also came out to demonstrate.
Strong protests have been held since the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran.
On the day of this Wednesday, September 21, Iranian women who participated in the demonstrations took off their hijab in the middle of the street, something prohibited in the Persian country.
Some of them even burned the garments in public to applause from the audience, who chanted slogans such as “justice, freedom and no compulsory hijab” and “women, life, freedom”.
Hundreds of women sing and dance, while publicly burning their hijab, in the streets of Iran. The value of Liberty. This is historical. What Iranian women are achieving is immense, they have to travel the world.*_ pic.twitter.com/rMJP3ePsD1
– Miguel Antonio BERNAL Villalaz (@MiguelABernalV) September 22, 2022
Another protester cut her hair in front of the crowd, as they chanted “death to the dictator,” a reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who is blamed for Amini’s death.
To disperse the protests, which have already caused at least eight deaths, security agents used tear gas and water cannons. They also dragged women across the ground and forcibly took them away.
Outrage over Amini’s death spread to countries like Turkey, Germany and Lebanon, where women replicated the protests.
Amini, 22, from Kurdistan province, died after being in a coma after being arrested by the Morale Police in Tehran last week. The authorities have denied any responsibility for her death and claim that Amini had health problems, something that her family denies.
The impact of Amini’s death on Iranian women
Amini’s death has not only triggered protests around the country, but also panic among many Iranians who fear falling into the hands of the Moral Police, in charge of monitoring women’s clothing.
For Tina, a resident of Tehran, who preferred to remain anonymous, “a simple trip from home to work is now a danger.” And Shiva Nazar Ahari, a women’s rights activist based in Slovenia, believes that “the women of Iran live under pressure on a daily basis.”
And it is that in Iran, hundreds of women are routinely arrested for violating the rules of the hijab, a garment that they have been forced to wear in public since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Arrests are likely to increase as surveillance using facial recognition technology in public places will be expanded.
Punishments for violating the rules range from fines to imprisonment or flogging. Some women have even been forced to apologize on state television for not wearing the clothing that the law dictates for the female gender.
In addition, those deemed not to adhere to the Islamic dress code are banned from government offices and banks.
The protests were concentrated in the northwestern regions, with a high Kurdish presence, and have spread to at least 50 cities and towns throughout the country. These are the largest demonstrations since those registered in 2019 due to the increase in the cost of fuel.
Amini’s death has brought together citizens who are dissatisfied with the increase in state surveillance and those who fear that the violation of human rights will increase, with women being among the most vulnerable in the country.
With EFE and Reuters
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