Rabat – After weeks of social unrest in the wake of the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini, Iran’s general attorney announced the dismantling of the country’s morality police.
On September 16, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in hospital while in the morality police’s custody. She was arrested for infringement on Iran’s hijab rules. Her death gave rise to one of the worst rounds of protests Iran witnessed in recent history, as thousands of people marched through the streets in what is largely women-led protests.
Iranian security forces issued a statement denying any wrongdoing on their part, claiming that Amini died of a heart attack at the detention center. Amini’s family disputed the claim, maintaining that the young woman was in perfect health when she was arrested.
Amini was detained on September 13. A video showing her violent arrest took the internet by storm and enraged millions of views across 80 Iranian cities and the world, with people taking to social media to cut their hair in solidarity and organizing other forms of protests. Reports indicate that as of now around 1,200 protesters have been arrested in Iran in an attempt to restore public order.
The decision to dismantle the morality police comes as no surprise, as international observers predicted that the Iranian government could take such a measure to quell social unrest.
A senior researcher at Human Rights Watch’s women’s rights division, Rothna Begum, told The Independent that the morality police “could have their powers removed.”
“I don’t think anyone was expecting these protests. Iran should abolish the morality police, compulsory hijab laws, and repeal discriminatory laws and policies against women,” Begum added.
Describing the magnitude of the women-led protests, Begum told the media that “While women have campaigned on a range of issues and have protested against a number of discriminatory laws and policies against women, with many sentenced to prison, this time we are seeing men and women, regular people, and such protests are taking place all over Iran.”
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