The Iranian government said over the weekend that it had abolished the country’s morality police, which penalized women for failing to abide by a strict dress code, after months of anti-government protests across the country sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa. Amini, after she stopped and beat through questionable police.
The move was announced through Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who said the morality police had “nothing to do with the judicial system” and would be abolished, the BBC, AFP and the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing local media.
Montazeri was reportedly made at a devout event and was a reaction to a player wondering the prestige of the morality police.
However, some Iranian media rejected reports that the morality police had been disbanded, noting that no other government official had shown the resolution and claiming that Montazeri had just declared that the police unit was not overseen by Iran’s judiciary.
The questionable police and their superior have been hit by a multitude of sanctions in several countries, the U. S. added. US, UK, Canada and EU.
Iranian media, mentioning Montazeri, reported on Saturday that the country’s government is reviewing its legislation governing dress codes for women, requiring them to cover their heads with a hijab and wear loose-fitting clothing that covers their arms and legs.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also hinted at possible reforms in a televised address on Saturday in which he reiterated the link between Iran’s Islamic and republican foundations, but added that “there are strategies to implement the charter that can be flexible. “
Most likely, the announcement is an effort by the Iranian government to quell the protests that have rocked the country since September. But it is unclear whether protesters will see this as a good enough concession from the government, which has continued to brutally suppress public dissent. While the protests began as protests against the hijab, they morphed into a broader pushback opposed to the country’s orthodox Islamic regime, with many even calling for the ouster of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Despite proposing adjustments to its strict dress code laws, the Iranian government continued to brutally crack down on all protests across the country. At least 470 protesters were killed during the crackdown on Sunday, according to the US organization Human Rights Activists in Iran. At least 64 youths were among the total death toll, the report added. On Friday, Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, said more than 14,000 people had been arrested since September 16, “including human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, students, rights activists civilians and minorities, intellectuals and artists.
Ongoing protests across Iran were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, in September. women. After his arrest, Amini reportedly “hit his head with a baton” and his head “hit” in opposition to the appearance of the police vehicle, the UN Human Rights Office said. Amini then fell into a coma and eventually died in hospital. on September 16, unleashing a wave of national anger.
Iran, affected by protests, says it is reviewing the law on compulsory veiling (France 24)