I’m sure many of us have heard about the ongoing human rights violations in Iran, but due to the issue’s complexity and somewhat scarce media coverage, it may have been difficult to understand. I felt as though I personally did not understand the protests and controversy at the hands of the Iranian government as well as I wanted to, so I decided to focus this blog post on it.
There have been protests ongoing in Iran directed against the Iranian government’s discriminatory policies, specifically against women. These protests started after one specific young woman’s death in police custody, but transformed into a social movement with hopes of changing the government’s restrictive policies on the women of Iran. On September 13th of 2022, Mahsa Amini, the inspiration for the movement, was taken into police custody by Iran’s “Guidance Patrol,” (a morality-based police force) for wearing her hijab incorrectly in public; the officers claimed that she needed to be “educated.” Within 3 days of being in custody, she fell into a coma and died at Kasra hospital in Tehran. The officers claimed her death was due to a heart condition, but she had no prior heart problems, and there was evidence of unethical abuse on her body.
Mahsa Amini's image being used at a protest; image source
Ever since the tragic event, the movement for women’s rights and increased individual freedoms has exploded in popularity throughout Iran, but was unfortunately not met with a peaceful response from the regime. Before we discuss the Iranian government’s response, however, I want to bring to light the human rights violations faced by the citizens of Iran. Iran’s government does not allow freedom of speech or assembly in the nation; in response to these protests, the government shut off internet and mobile phone networks, used ammunition and tear gas against masses of people protesting, and unjustly detained and punished protesters. In Iran, minority groups (religious, sexuality, gender) are discriminated against, and women specifically are “treated as second class citizens including in relation to marriage, divorce, child custody, employment, inheritance and political office,” according to Amnesty International.
demonstration in Iran; image source
These protests originate from a desire for freedom and equality for all Iranian citizens. Currently, at least 517 people have been killed by police forces at these protests. Additionally, many brave women are leading these protests even with the knowledge that they may be detained or killed for acts such as not wearing a hijab in public. Unfortunately, regime change is quite unlikely to occur in the near future, because authoritarian governments typically have intense power and the ability to be longstanding. However, making the public aware of issues such as these is one way to promote women’s rights and human rights in places such as Iran. I hope this article was informative for anyone reading, as I definitely became more aware of the circumstances in Iran while writing it.