Why are Iranians protesting?

A Guidance Patrol unit detained Amini on Sept. 13 as she was visiting Tehran from her hometown in the northwestern part of the country. Such patrols, also referred to as the “morality police,” enforce the Islamic Republic’s compulsory dress code, which requires all women to wear a hijab, or headscarf, and modest, loosefitting clothing that conceals their figures. At some point during her detention, Amini was transferred to Kasra Hospital nearby, where she died on Sept. 16 after falling into a coma, according to local media reports. News of her death spread on social media, prompting outraged Iranians to begin gathering outside the hospital and in the streets. Like other protests in Iran in recent years, the demonstrations spread quickly from Tehran and other cities to the rest of the country, where frustrations have been boiling for years. Security forces responded with live fire and arrests as the crowds swelled. Some women, demanding justice for Amini and the end of mandatory hijab, cast off and burned their veils or publicly cut their own hair in protest. But Amini’s death also came to represent the myriad indignities Iranians have suffered — from police abuse to economic neglect. Protesters have also denounced clerical rule, chanting “death to the dictator!” in reference to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Earlier protests, including in 2019, were fueled by economic grievances. Iran’s economy has buckled under U.S. sanctions, and Iranians are suffering from soaring inflation and high unemployment. Negotiations between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal — and lift some of those sanctions — are stalled. Iran has confirmed the death of several dozen protesters and members of security forces, though rights groups say the casualty count is far higher. Some demonstrators have targeted police stations and the Revolutionary Guard Corps. More than two dozen Iranian journalists have also been arrested, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists . At several state-organized rallies on Sept. 23, attendees called for perpetrators of alleged violence against security forces to be executed. In signs that the crackdown could escalate, the Revolutionary Guard called on Iran’s judiciary to prosecute protesters, and Iran’s army put out a statement saying it would “confront the enemies’ various plots to ensure security.” Iran has blamed the protests on “foreign enemies.” Authorities on Sept. 30 arrested nine Europeans citizens, who Iran said were spies fomenting unrest. The public anger over Amini’s death collided with weeks of ongoing, smaller-scale demonstrations against compulsory veiling. These actions took off in July after the government via the Guidance Patrol unit began cracking down on enforcement. Female protesters and activists were arrested — and at least one gave a public apology aired on TV, which rights groups said appeared to be forced . The unrest and deaths have been centered in the province of Kurdistan, where there have also been ongoing waves of demonstrations against issues such as discrimination and water scarcity. There are Kurdish communities around the region that have expressed support for the protests. Iran on Sept. 28 struck Kurdish-Iranian opposition parties based in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region and killed at least 13, according to the Iraqi Kurdistan regional health ministry.

Are hijabs obligatory for women in Iran?

The Islamic Republic mandates head coverings for women, a restriction it officially enshrined into law in 1983, four years after the revolution that swept Iran’s clerics to power. Over the years, the level of enforcement has ebbed and flowed, depending on who’s in charge. Under more moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who served two terms from 2013 to 2021, there were fewer vice patrols on the streets. But now that his ultraconservative successor, Ebrahim Raisi, is in office, the morality police have been newly empowered. Women in Iran, however, have long pushed the boundaries of the rules — such as wearing scarves very loosely wrapped around their heads — to dress in the latest fashions and show their individuality.

What are the morality police in Iran?

Known as the Gasht-e Ershad, or Guidance Patrol, Iran’s morality police drive the streets in green-and-white vans or post up in public squares and act as an everyday religious vice squad, cracking down on dress code violations and other offenses. The unit was officially established in 2005; before that, it was known as the Islamic Revolution Committees. It employs thousands of officers, including women, with a mandate to arrest or fine those deemed in violation of the government’s strict Islamic codes.

What happened to Mahsa Amini?

Amini was in Tehran on Sept. 13 when police detained her as she exited the metro. According to reports from activists and local media, she was taken to a Guidance Patrol station containing a reeducation center for women who violate the dress rules. Authorities released CCTV footage of the station to pro-government media, including images of Amini arriving at the center. Later, she is shown collapsed and being carried through a hallway and into an ambulance. Her family has demanded the release of the unedited footage. She was taken to Kasra Hospital close to the station and remained hospitalized in a coma until her death on Sept. 16. State-affiliated news agencies said she suffered a heart attack at the police station, while activists said she was beaten while in police custody. Amini’s family members say that a heart attack does not explain her injuries and have dismissed the results of an initial state autopsy, which reportedly showed no internal bleeding or signs of head trauma. At the same time, politicians and pro-government media outlets have said she was in poor health and had a brain tumor as a child, another claim her father publicly denied.

How has Iran’s government, and the international community, responded?

Raisi called Amini’s family and promised to investigate the cause of her death. But when the president spoke before the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 21, he made no mention of her or the protests. Instead, he criticized the West for its “double standard” on human rights. Later that day, Raisi was scheduled for an interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN, but he canceled after she refused to wear a veil, the veteran journalist said on Twitter on Sept. 22. The United States, European Union and United Nations have condemned the violence. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response said he designated Iran’s morality police “the entity responsible for the arrest and death of [Amini], and designated seven other Iranian security officials responsible for suppressing nonviolent protests.” Information about deaths, injuries, arrests and new protests is increasingly difficult to verify, as the government tightens restrictions on the internet. Blinken announced on Sept. 23 that the United States had eased restrictions on U.S. companies to allow them to provide online communications tools and services to Iranians that would otherwise be prohibited by sanctions. Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX, said that day that he would activate Starlink, his company’s satellite internet provider, for Iran — though a Treasury Department official said he would need to apply for a special license to do so. It also remains unclear how Starlink terminals, which are used to connect to Starlink satellites, would be brought into Iran. Iranians in the diaspora have organized protests in support of demonstrators and women in Iran around the world, including in London and Washington. Others have posted videos of them cutting their hair in solidarity. “For my mother, for my daughter, for the fear of solitary confinement, for the women of my country, for freedom,” said Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who was held in Iranian prison for six years, as she clipped her hair in one such video . Claire Parker in New York contributed to this report.

clockThis article was published more than 1 year ago

What’s behind the protests in Iran?

By Miriam Berger

Updated October 2, 2022 at 12:03 p.m. EDT|Published September 22, 2022 at 7:08 p.m. EDT

A police motorcycle burns Sept. 19 during a protest over the death of a young woman who had been detained for violating the country's conservative dress code, in downtown Tehran. (AP Photo) (AP)

Iran has been gripped by anti-government protests since the death of a young woman, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, in police custody in Tehran on Sept. 16.

Members of Iran’s Guidance Patrol, or “morality police,” detained Amini for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s conservative dress code. She later died of what authorities said was a heart attack — a claim her family denies.