{"id":3583,"date":"2024-04-27T06:38:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T05:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=3583"},"modified":"2024-04-27T06:38:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T05:38:53","slug":"iranian-women-violently-dragged-from-streets-by-police-amid-hijab-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codir.net\/?p=3583","title":{"rendered":"Iranian women violently dragged from streets by police amid hijab crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Harrowing first-hand accounts of women being dragged from the streets of Iran<\/a> and detained by security services have emerged as human rights groups say country\u2019s hijab rules have been brutally enforced since the country\u2019s drone strikes on Israel on 13 April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new campaign, called Noor<\/em> (\u201clight\u201d in Persian), was announced the same day the Iranian regime launched drone attacks against Israel<\/a>, to crack down on \u201cviolations\u201d of the country\u2019s draconian hijab rules, which dictate that all women must cover their heads in public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours later, videos verified by human rights groups showing women and girls being forcefully arrested by agents of the notorious Gasht-e-Irshad (\u201cmorality police\u201d) flooded social media along with stories of beatings and assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One mother and daughter walking through a busy Tehran square were surrounded by <\/strong>five chador-clad female agents and two male agents, who hurled insults and accusations before they grabbed the women. When they resisted arrest, they were violently dragged into the van, a source close to the family said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dina Ghalibaf, a student at Tehran\u2019s Shahid Beheshti University and was among the first to tweet about a confrontation. On her now suspended X (formerly Twitter) account, she said: \u201cYesterday in the police room of Sadeghiyeh metro station, I insisted that I had the right to use the metro as a citizen and a taxpayer. But then, they violently dragged me into a room and Tasered me. They handcuffed me and one of the officers sexually assaulted me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Iranian<\/a>
Women have reported that vehicles can be stopped by police if passengers are not wearing hijabs. Photograph: Wana News Agency\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A day after her post, she was reportedly arrested and transferred to the notorious Evin prison. The state judiciary\u2019s Mizan news agency announced that Ghalibaf will face legal action and refuted her allegations of sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, jailed Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi<\/a> sent a voice message \u2013 published by relatives on Instagram \u2013 about Ghalibaf\u2019s visible bruises. In the post, she urged Iranian women to share their stories of arrest and sexual assault at the hands of the security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian spoke to the families of two women who were arrested last week and three women who were arrested by the Gasht-e-Irshad. One young woman from Tehran said: \u201cAround eight agents surrounded me on Saturday and started screaming at me. They hurl insults like \u2018whore\u2019, \u2018naked America-loving slut\u2019 \u2013 all while kicking me in the legs, stomach and everywhere. They don\u2019t care where they hit you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another woman said: \u201cBoth women and men touch our bodies during arrests. They say they\u2019re religious and loyal Muslims, but don\u2019t care if the male agents touch our bodies, which is supposedly forbidden for them to do. There were around six evil women agents and three of them attacked me. Two of them held my hands [behind] my back and one of them tried to throw me into the white van. Two male agents then violently grabbed my arms and pushed me into the van. While in the van, they were verbally abusing us and took five or six of us \u2013 arrested for hijab \u2013 to the detention centre in Gisha.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman added that at the detention centre she saw about 40 detained women. After spending more than five hours in detention, where they were subjected to insults and beatings, some of the women were released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family member told the Guardian: \u201cMy mother was kicked in her legs, and now has bruises and long lasting injuries to her legs. During her arrest, the agents called her \u2018ugly\u2019, \u2018old dog\u2019 and a \u2018crone\u2019, and continued hitting her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian has seen pictures of at least two women who showed signs of violent attacks, which they say occurred during their detention last week. Since nationwide protests gripped Iran after the death in custody of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini<\/a>, independent human rights organisations and the UN fact-finding mission<\/a> on Iran have investigated cases of rape and sexual assault<\/a> of protesters, concluding that the Iranian regime committed crimes against humanity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the continued repression, Shabnam, a student, said: \u201cIn and around Valiasr Square there\u2019s always police present. It\u2019s not just \u2018morality police\u2019 or hijab bans, even the traffic police have joined hands in making our lives hell. They stop motorcycles, cars, taxis \u2026 wherever they find women driving or seated without a hijab. Some get fined, some have their vehicles confiscated and others get away with a warning but later receive an SMS that they need to come and surrender their vehicle because they\u2019ve defied hijab rules. Many of my friends have received these SMSs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, has launched the United Against Gender Apartheid campaign in collaboration with Iranian and Afghan activists to urge the international community to codify gender apartheid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
Many Iranian women are refusing to wear the hijab despite the crackdowns. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want the free world to hear the tragic stories of women who experienced gender discrimination in Iran and Afghanistan in a united movement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kosar Eftekhari, a 24-year-old artist was blinded by the security forces during protests and has now joined other women to speak up. \u201cI was arrested eight times by the \u2018morality police\u2019 \u2013 the Islamic Republic took my eyesight simply for being unveiled,\u201d said Eftekhari, urging world leaders to recognise and classify the Islamic Republic as a gender apartheid regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cchastity and hijab bill\u201d<\/a> was sent back to the Iranian parliament by the country\u2019s Guardian Council in October 2023 for further clarifications of \u201cvague\u201d terms. Human rights activists fear women could face longer jail terms and the harshest punishments when the law is implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Iranian student said: \u201cThere are hijab \u2018protectors\u2019 swarming and stationed almost permanently in the Shahr and Enghelab theatre subway. There\u2019s no escaping them and I want the world to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not going anywhere, there\u2019s no wearing of hijab or following the rules of this regime. We boycotted the elections and we won\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

theguardian.com<\/p>\n

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