Protests are urging the Iranian regime to make changes

For weeks, people in Iran have been demonstrating against the repressive regime. The nationwide protests started after Mahsa Amini († 22) died in police custody in September 2022. The young woman had been arrested by the vice squad for allegedly violating the strict hijab law. A few strands of hair would peek out from under her headscarf.

This law must now be reviewed, as Attorney General Mohammed Jafar Montaseri announced according to a CNN report. “As someone who deals with this issue, I can say that both the parliament and the judiciary are working on it,” he told the state news agency Isna. However, so far there are no indications whether and which legislative changes are imminent.

Protests raise concern among Iranian sentiment

After the country was gripped by a wave of mass protests, the regime knows only how to use force and deadly force against its own people. According to human rights activists, about 470 protesters were killed, including 64 children and 60 security forces. The government still pretends to have everything under control. But the facade is starting to crumble.

Just on Sunday, a conversation leaked by the hacker group “Black Reward” revealed how concerned the government apparently is about the scale of the protests. The participants in the conversation around the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (83) confirmed that the demonstrations are taking place on a larger scale than the regime has previously publicly admitted: The demonstrations are supported by broad layers of the population.

The representatives of the regime are therefore concerned that more women could participate in the protests, for which Iranian women without headscarves are a role model. The media war was “completely lost”.

The vice squad had already been abolished

Also on Sunday, the daily “Shargh” quoted Iran’s Attorney General Montaseri as saying, “The vice squad has been disbanded, but the judiciary will continue to face this societal challenge.”

This could be an important partial success for the protesters, as the feared vice police, who are primarily responsible for enforcing the dress code, sparked the protests. The Iranian state media firmly rejects these statements. (Hi)