After almost three months of protests, more than 400 dead and thousands detained, according to organizations, the Iranian government is reluctant to change demanded by the protesters. Although they have announced the end of the morality police, everything points to a change in methodology to monitor compliance with the imposed dress regulations, among which the mandatory Islamic veil remains.
Iran’s Center for the Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice announced on Monday “that the mission of the Morality Police has ended”, but “decisions are being made about chastity and the veil, so that, if God you want, are applied in a more modern framework, with the use of new technologies“, qualified his spokesman, Ali Janmohamadí.
Everything indicates that the possible end of the morality police is nothing more than a change in the form of control to enforce the dress code. Local authorities already use systems such as traffic cameras to fine women who drive uncovered, with penalties including up to two months in prison.
The riots started by the death of Mahsa Amini after being arrested by the morality police for not wearing the veil properly They demand the end of the Islamic Republic founded by Ayatollah Ruholá Khomeini in 1979, who imposed the obligatory nature of the veil in 1983, a garment that he declared as “the flag of the revolution” and without which women were “naked”.
Far from removing its obligation, the Iranian government proposes blocking women’s bank accounts that do not comply with the new regulations in which the authorities work. “It is possible to notify people who do not wear the hijab through text messages and urge them to respect the laws,” explained Hosein Yalalí, a representative of the national parliament.
This first notice would be considered the “warning stage”, which in case of non-compliance would lead to possible penalties. “It is possible that the bank account of the person without the veil will be blocked,” Yalalí said. Despite the demands of the protesters, the clergyman also warns that “we will raise the punishment of bad hijab.”
Within the framework of the protests, the Iranian Justice has announced on Tuesday five new death sentences against people accused of participating in the demonstrations. The detainees, who have not been identified, have been sentenced to hang for the stabbing to death of a basiji (Islamic militant).
According to the authorities, another 11 protesters participated in the murder, including three minors, who they have been sentenced to “long prison terms”. The 16 convicted were accused of “corruption on earth”, which includes a series of crimes against public safety and Islamic morality.
Total, 11 protesters have been sentenced to death since the start of the protests. More than 2,000 people have been convicted of various crimes as a result of the demonstrations. Of which, another 28 face possible death sentences, as detailed by Amnesty International.
The head of the judiciary, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei, affirmed this Monday that “some” of those sentenced to death will be executed “soon”.
They accuse the US of trying to control oil
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has rejected the protests and has accused the US of inciting them to control his country’s oil. “The Americans want Iran’s oil, energy, and that is why they have launched the campaign. What is being said in the media does not correspond to the truth,” he declared.
amir adbollahian has denied that any protesters have been killed during the protests, contradicting the accusations of human rights organizations, and has pointed out that 67 police officers were killed in the riots, which he accused “extremists from the US” of carrying them out.
