woman, life, freedom! The Iranian government wants to nip that reputation in the bud. Despite hundreds of deaths, the demonstrators could not be silenced by force. Now confessions must apparently bring peace: according to Attorney General Mohammed-Jafar Montaseri (73), the vice squad has been disbanded, it was announced this weekend.
It is largely unclear what exactly will change in the daily lives of the Iranian people. Many Iranians believe the announcement is nothing more than a cosmetic measure designed to take the wind out of the protest movement.
Activist Maryam Banihashemi (40) left Iran six years ago with a heavy heart. She would have wanted to continue to help change the country from within. Today, Banihashemi, who lives in the canton of Zurich, is the face of the Iranian protest movement in Switzerland. As a member of the “Free Iran Switzerland” group, she organizes meetings and political initiatives. About Attorney General Montaseri’s announcement, she says: “The headscarf requirement will not be automatically abolished. This is just a ploy by the regime to calm down the protests and fool the world public into seeing a change.”
Movement for a secular democracy
Many in their home country would see it that way too. Banihashemi maintains close contact with activists in Iran. “The regime wants to split the demonstrators and exert international pressure,” the activist told Blick. “For the Iranian people, the alleged dissolution of the vice squad has no meaning. The regime is simply trying in every possible way to silence the entire movement. But it’s too late for that.”
Even if the headscarf requirement were to become a reality through a change in the law, Banihashemi and her fellow activists would not be satisfied. “We want a regime change, not a change of law,” says the activist. “We want a secular democracy.”
«Thousands of crimes against humanity»
Banihashemi emphasizes that she supports people to practice their faith. ‘That is your right. But religion and state must be independent of each other. That is why we fight for regime change and the end of the Islamic Republic.” Seen in this way, the headscarf is not the main problem, but only one of many.
“Thousands of crimes against humanity have been committed by the regime without the intervention of the vice squad.” Other units of the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus are ubiquitous and continue to commit crimes against Iranian citizens.
Demonstrations have also been announced for this week in Iran. The mass protests were provoked by the death of the Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini († 22) in September. She died in hospital after being arrested for violating Islamic dress code. Human rights activists estimate that at least 470 protesters have since been killed and about 18,000 arrested. Several protesters have already been sentenced, some to death.