After months of anti-government protests across the nation that were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained and beaten by the divisive police force, Iranian authorities have abolished the nation’s morality police, which would have punished women in public for failing to adhere to the country’s strict dress code.
The announcement is probably an attempt by the Iranian authorities to put an end to the nationwide protests that have erupted since September. Uncertainty exists as to whether the protesters will consider this to be a sufficient compromise by the government, which has persisted in ruthlessly repressing public opposition. Although the demonstrations started out as anti-hijab demonstrations, they have since expanded into a wider pushback against the country’s orthodox Islamic government, with many even calling for the ouster of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian regime has continued to ruthlessly suppress all protests nationwide despite promising to relax its strict dress code restrictions. As of Sunday, the crackdown had claimed the lives of at least 470 protesters, according to the American organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran. According to the study, the overall number of fatalities includes at least 64 minors. More than 14,000 people have been arrested since September 16 “including human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, students, civil and minority rights activists, intellectuals and artists,” according to a statement released on Friday by Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran.
