The Ayatollah regime has intensified its oppression against women in Iran. In the coming weeks, the Revolutionary Guard will deploy the Safirane Mehr (Ambassadors of Affection) across the country. These “trained groups” will be tasked with enforcing women to wear the hijab, an Islamic veil that covers their heads and chests.
The Revolutionary Guard's goal is to “stop the degeneration of families, especially of young people,” which they attribute to “the enemy,” likely referring to the United States and Israel. The Revolutionary Guard believes that these adversaries seek to undermine Iran's “religious and social wealth” through what the Iranian military organization called “hijab defiance.”
According to Hassan Hassanzadeh, the Revolutionary Guard commander in Tehran, Iran's “enemies” seek to “spoil religious values by imposing the hijab challenge.” He claims that Iran's adversaries have invested a lot of money in social media, mercenaries and the media to achieve their goals.
Mahsa Amini's death led Iranian women to challenge the regime
Following the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman who lost her life in 2022 after being arrested for not wearing the hijab as required by the authorities, a series of protests ensued. Around 500 people died as a result. Since then, many Iranian women have decided to defy the regime by not wearing a hijab.
In mid-April, the Morality Police intensified street patrols in several cities as part of the 'Light' plan aimed at enforcing strict dress codes for women. Since then, several women have been arrested for not adhering to the regime's prescribed attire.
In early April, Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, issued stern warnings against Iranian women who refused to wear the hijab, demanding they “obey” the Islamic regime's regulations.
Iranian women speak out on the “war against women”: The case of journalist Dina Ghalibaf
Iranian women have begun to challenge the authorities on social media, calling the government's impositions a “war against women.” They are sharing videos online of women who have been arrested for not wearing a hijab or for not being dressed in the manner that the authorities deem appropriate.
Iranian people are deeply concerned about the “war against women” even more than the conflict with Israel—it’s a stark reality. Witness the brutality of morality police beating women for not covering their hair to grasp why #WarAgainstWomen is gaining momentum on Iranian social… pic.twitter.com/9Ni99KmbCt
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) April 19, 2024
Journalist and university student Dina Ghalibaf was one of the women who called out the authorities on social media. The young woman stated on X that she was arrested and tasered for not wearing a veil, before being released.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who is imprisoned in Iran, reported that after posting on X, Ghalibaf was re-arrested and sent to a prison in Tehran.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Mohammadi confirmed in a voice message from prison that Ghalibaf was moved to Evin Prison and “showed signs of bruising and shared her account of being sexually assaulted."
