Mint Explainer: Has the Iranian regime finally yielded to the protesters?

1. Iran has laws that require women to dress. As part of these laws, women have been obliged to wear the hijab since 1983. But enforcement of these laws is shaky at best.

2. In 2005, a “morality police” unit named Gasht-e-Ershad was established by conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They enforce Iran’s dress code by maintaining a presence in public places such as busy intersections and catching anyone they deem violating the dress code. Violations can be arbitrary, especially for women.

3. Violators may be detained or forced to sign a statement pledging to comply with the state-mandated dress code. It is estimated that thousands of women violate Gasht-e-Ershad’s moral police every year. Needless to say, these units are not popular domestically.

Four. The death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman detained by morality police for improperly wearing a hijab, has sparked widespread outrage. Authorities said she died of a heart attack, but witnesses claimed she was severely beaten by security officials.

Five. Protests erupted across the country after Amini’s death in September. Three months later, the demonstrations continue despite a violent crackdown by state security agencies. More than 400 protesters were killed, according to human rights groups.

6. The government’s response is not perfect. Tehran has even put protesters on death row, but failed to stop the spread of protests. It was in this context that Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said the moral police were “closed from where they were established”. activities of Ershad.

7. This was picked up by foreign media and commentators as the downfall of Ayatollah Khamenei’s government. However, some activists and domestic groups dispute this interpretation of the event. They argue that the group’s status is simply unclear, and that there is no talk of a broader shift toward easing the mandatory dress code.

8. Even with the morality police disbanded, such a move may not stop protesters. I am rolling out. Their grievances are directed at the entire Iranian political system.

9. A striking example was displayed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Iran’s men’s national football team refused to sing the national anthem. When the team finally lost, social media was flooded with snapshots of ordinary Iranians celebrating their defeat. It shows how far the dissatisfaction has taken hold.

Ten. As such, limited reform of the dress code may no longer be enough to restore normalcy. It seems

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