- Ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi, under whose leadership pressure has increased for women to wear a veil, called the demonstrations “riots.”
The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, asked this Sunday (09.25.2022) for the police to act “firmly” in the face of the demonstrations that are shaking the country after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by the morality police, and in which have already died 41 people, according to an official balance. However, the NGO Iran Human Rights increases that figure to 54 deaths, including protesters and security agents.
The ultra-conservative Raisi, who described the demonstrations as “riots”, asked “the competent authorities to act firmly against those who threaten the security and peace of the country and the people.” He also called to “distinguish between the demonstrations and the disturbance of public order and security.” For his part, the head of the Judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stressed the need to “act decisively and without leniency.”
The Raisi government has increased pressure in recent months for women to comply with strict dress rules and wear the veil well, mandatory since the 1979 revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini. Among the measures adopted to stop the protests are the cancellation of face-to-face classes at universities, the arrest of journalists and internet restrictions.
The “role of the United States”
The demonstrations that hit different cities in the country are the most massive since those of November 2019, which mobilized a good part of the citizenry against the increase in the price of gasoline and which were severely repressed (230 dead according to an official balance, more 300 according to Amnesty International). Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said he hoped “justice would quickly prosecute the main perpetrators and leaders of the riots” after police announced the arrest of more than 700 people.
On Saturday night there were demonstrations in several cities across the country, including the capital Tehran, where a video that went viral showed a woman walking in the street bareheaded and waving her headscarf, ignoring strict codes of conduct. outfit. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, denounced the alleged role of the United States, Iran’s sworn enemy, in the protests.