Latest news with #GuardianCouncil
Al Jazeera
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Iran police disperse pro-hijab protest amid security concerns
Tehran, Iran – In a first, Iranian authorities have dispersed a demonstration calling for stricter implementation of the country's dress code rules. On Friday evening, after state-organised Quds Day rallies in support of the Palestinian cause ended, police dispersed dozens who had been camping out in front of the parliament for weeks. The demonstrators, mostly women clad in full-body black chadors, had been there for nearly 50 days to decry what they view as loose enforcement of mandatory hijab, which signifies the abandonment of 'Islamic values' to them. Women and men in Iran are bound by a law passed shortly after the country's 1979 revolution to adhere to strict dress codes – including a veil covering hair for women – on pain of prison, flogging, or financial penalties. For decades, Iranian authorities have enforced the mandatory hijab through patrols by police and security forces. The country's so-called 'morality police', known as 'Gasht-e Ershad' or Islamic guidance patrol, would round up people on the streets for 'undermining public decency' and put them in vans to be 're-educated' at designated centres or be punished through the courts. That is what happened to 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who was arrested in Tehran for alleged non-compliance with hijab laws while out with her family. She died in police custody, her death triggering nationwide protests for months. Hundreds of protesters and dozens of security forces were killed in the unrest, with authorities saying the United States, Israel, and other rivals were behind the 'riots'. The hijab has since become an increasingly hot-button topic. Iranian authorities announced they would suspend the morality police in late 2022, but the force's white vans soon made a comeback to the streets of Tehran and other major cities. Many more women and men have been arrested or had cases opened against them for dress code-related offences. This has ranged from average Iranians on the streets to journalists and veteran actresses who appeared unveiled in public, and businesses or even taxi drivers whose customers were deemed to be violating the law. Faced with increasing hijab-related 'crimes', especially in Tehran, where many women go out without a headscarf, Iranian authorities have been trying to implement new legislation that would boost their authority to crack down on offenders. A new hijab bill that defines heavy punishments, especially ramped-up financial penalties, was passed by Iran's conservative-dominated parliament in September 2023, under the administration of late President Ebrahim Raisi. It was then discussed in top state bodies many times, before finally being backed in September 2024 by the Guardian Council, the 12-member constitutional watchdog that has to greenlight legislation before it can be implemented. But President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has pledged to pursue mandatory hijab through non-confrontational methods like 'education', said his government would be incapable of enforcing the 'impractical' bill. After much speculation, conservative parliament chief and former military commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf finally confirmed in March that the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) had ordered the bill's implementation halted. The council agreed that the bill 'could cause tensions in today's society' in the aftermath of the 2022-23 protests, Ghalibaf told state media, adding that the government and parliament are working on finding ways of enforcing it in the future. In the meantime, as authorities battle a budget crunch under sanctions pressure from United States President Donald Trump, they have launched new efforts to crack down on hijab offences. They have set up cameras in public spaces to identify and punish unveiled women, allowed people to report others – and their vehicles, which could be impounded – for hijab offences without providing evidence, and imposed heavy fines or shuttered violating businesses. The dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of women demonstrating in front of the parliament have been making headlines for weeks. Some local media called them 'super-revolutionaries' due to their religious zeal, and they have garnered praise and support from ultraconservative factions within the Iranian establishment. They, along with several hardline legislators in parliament, have been accusing the parliament chief and the president of complacency over the enforcement of the hijab bill. They have described mandatory hijab as a tenet of Iran's theocratic establishment that 'enemies' wish to trample. But Tehran Governor Hossein Khosh-Eghbal said on Saturday that the demonstrations were 'illegal' and warned that police would disperse any further protests held without permits. He did not mention why the demonstrations were tolerated for weeks, or comment on claims, including by conservative legislator Javad Nikbin, that the demonstrators were paid to be there and had been bused in. Police confirmed that many of the women had travelled from the holy Shia city of Qom, some 150km (90 miles) south of Tehran. They also broadcast a short video via state media that showed their officers trying to reason with the shouting protesters and explain why they must disperse by law before taking action. In a viral video filmed by one of the protesters and circulated online, the woman behind the camera can be heard screaming and saying 400 male and female officers descended on them, put them in vans and dropped them in different parts of Tehran to disperse them. The woman showed another chador-clad woman lying on the ground with a bloody face, claiming demonstrators were beaten. The state-run Fars news agency reported that police used 'physical means' to end the protests and left demonstrators on the outskirts of the city in the middle of the night. Police said the video was 'staged' in an attempt to influence public sentiment, and that the wounds were self-inflicted. Politicians with the Paydari (Steadfastness) Front, the ultraconservative faction whose presidential candidate Saeed Jalili was defeated in elections last year, have been lambasting the decision. Hamid Rasaei, a top hardline legislator with the faction, said whoever decided to disperse the protesters did it 'either out of foolishness or due to infiltration'.
Memri
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami in Tehran Friday Sermon Warns U.S. and European Powers: Iran Will Wipe Them Off the Face of History; Turkey Has No Shame in Warning Iran against Interfering in Syria Wh
In his March 7, 2025 Friday sermon in Tehran, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts, addressed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, accusing him of insulting Iran by calling for it to stop its regional policy. He remarked that the whole world now sees how Turkey interferes in Syria and asked whether Turkey has no shame in telling Iran not to interfere in Syria while it is interfering? Khatami also warned the U.S., England, Germany, and France that if they do not stop their threats against Iran and its nuclear program, Iran would wipe them off the face of history. The worshippers responded with chants of 'Death to America! Death to England!' The sermon was aired on IRINN TV (Iran).
Voice of America
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Australian senator misleads over women's rights in Iran
Despite Iranian propaganda claims, women in Iran face systemic repression and severe restrictions on their civil and political rights, undermining any notion of a functioning democracy or gender equality. On Feb. 22, 2025, the Benevolent Iranian Women Association hosted an event in Sydney, Australia, to "commemorate International Women's Day." Iran's state-run Press TV covered the event, framing it as a counter to "misleading Western narratives" about women's rights in Iran. Press TV interviewed Australian Senator Fatima Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, and echoed this narrative: "… incredible place that Iran is, allowing for women to participate in the workforce, to ensure that they have a voice, and their voices are heard. They're involved in the democratic process ..." This statement is misleading. 1. Women's civil and political rights. While women in Iran have the right to vote, they face severe restrictions on their participation in political life. Elections in Iran, though regular, are not fully democratic. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, controls every branch of government, including the military and judiciary, limiting the power of the elected president. The Guardian Council, which is loyal to the supreme leader, approves or disqualifies political candidates. In the 2021 presidential election, the Guardian Council disqualified 74 of 80 registered candidates, approving only six, who were largely aligned with conservative interests. Women can theoretically run for president or parliament, but the Guardian Council effectively blocks them from competing for the presidency, citing interpretations of the constitution. In 2021, former lawmaker Zohreh Elahian, who supported mandatory hijab laws, was disqualified from running for president. Women hold just 4.9% of parliamentary seats, placing Iran among the lowest in terms of female political representation globally. 2. Women in the workforce. Iran's constitution enshrines the right for women to work, but in practice, legal and social barriers heavily restrict their participation in the workforce. Despite accounting for more than 50% of university graduates, only 14% of Iranian women participated in the labor force in 2023. Research from the World Bank and other institutions shows that women face discrimination and limited career advancement opportunities. Iran ranks 143rd out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2024 Global Gender Gap Index. 3. Crackdown on free speech and assembly. The United Nations Human Rights Council's 2024 fact-finding mission condemned Iran for intensifying punitive measures against those exercising fundamental rights, particularly women and girls. In the year following Mahsa Amini's death that sparked the 2022-2023 protests, the regime introduced harsher laws to suppress dissent and freedom of expression. Journalists and activists face harsh punishments for speaking out. Two female journalists who initially reported on Amini's death were sentenced to six and seven years in prison for charges including "spreading propaganda" and "collaborating with foreign governments." Over 100 journalists, many of them women, have been arrested since the protests began. Iran's Press TV, which hosted Payman's interview, is a state-controlled media outlet known for broadcasting forced confessions and propaganda. The United Kingdom and the European Union sanctioned it for human rights violations, including airing confessions extracted under duress. 4. Repressive legislation and violence. Iran has passed repressive laws targeting women, such as the Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of Chastity and Hijab. Amnesty International warns that the law could lead to the death penalty for peaceful protests against Iran's compulsory veiling laws. In 2024, Iran executed 31 women, the highest number since 2010. Iran is also one of only six countries that have not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, further illustrating its disregard for women's rights. Conclusion While Iran's constitution and rhetoric claim to support women's participation in the workforce and democratic processes, these rights are severely restricted in practice. Women face legal, social and political barriers that significantly hinder their freedom of expression, political involvement and economic participation. The regime's ongoing repression, particularly in response to recent protests, reflects the systemic discrimination and control that women in Iran continue to endure.
