December 6, 2022
Cited article by Akhtar Makoii, Arash Azizi and Alex Stambaugh, CNN
HRRC presses for the Iranian government to revisit and revise the law mandating women wear hijabs in public and to disband its morality police immediately. The public outcry against this law and the actions of security officials has been significant and will continue in the wake of ongoing threats against protestors.
Article Summary
Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated that Iran's parliament and judiciary are currently reviewing the law requiring women to wear the hijab in public. Montazeri also was quoted saying the morality police had been disbanded. However, state media in Iran have pushed back by pointing out that the morality police have nothing to do with the judiciary. Iranian state media also commented that Western media see the review of the hijab law and the morality police as a positive step in response to the ongoing protests in the country, which actually is not the case.
The protests in Iran have been ongoing since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in custody of the morality police on September 16th. Law enforcement response to these protests has been harsh, with forced detentions and physical abuse, predominantly against the minority Kurdish community members. Additional reports claim sexual abuse of protestors in detention centers, including young boys.