Background of the issue:
In 2021, Ebrahim Raisi rose to presidency in Iran instead of being investigated for the countless crimes against humanity he has committed or incited. Many are victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings he has carried out. Now, he holds the position of president as elections were held in a repressive environment where women and critics were barred from voting, an infringement on their human rights.
The economic crisis in Iran quickly worsened due to sanctions placed by the US, COVID-19 and corruption within the government. This is seen by increasingly high prices of goods, job losses, and delayed wage payments from companies. These conditions have caused demonstrations throughout the country, protesting inadequate budgets for areas such as healthcare, education and housing.
Because of these issues, the United Nations Human Rights Committee appointed a special Rapporteur (an individual appointed to report on the proceedings of meetings) to Iran, however this was declined by Iranian authorities.
Breaches of Human Rights:
In our school, we are taught that the world is a diverse place, and there is a space for everyone. This modern thinking, however, is not yet established in many Muslim countries, including Iran. The belief that women are weak and minorities are to be treated with less respect is embedded into the Quran. However, these beliefs have affected life on a more violent and prominent level.
Iranian authorities have a strong policy of censorship on the media their citizens consume and individual expression. Many social media platform are blocked and arrests are carried out for any media considered anti-government. Independent political parties, trade unions, civil society organisations, and television channels are banned.
Those who are arrested face torture and other violent methods of interrogation. All prisoners suffer from inhumane conditions—however, women are treated especially poorly.
Ethnic and religious minorities, women, and members of LGBTQI+ face even harsher conditions as the government openly discriminates against these groups through the law. This curtails their access to basic services while also making them victims of daily harassment.
The death of Mahsa Amini:
On the 16th of September this year, a 22-year old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini died while in police custody after being detained for violating Iran’s strict dress code. She was prosecuted by the ‘morality police’, who target women in public that they deem dress inappropriately. This has sparked nationwide protests in order to overturn laws imposing mandatory hijab wearing.
Authorities believed they could overrule these protests the same way they have been for decades However, the protests today are on a particularly large scale and are unprecedentedly feminist in nature. Younger generations, around our age, are rising up against decades of repression in an unfamiliarly bold way for the government. Although the death of Amini was the short term spark, decades of discrimination and restrictions on rights have caused internal turmoil and a buildup of hatred towards the government amongst primarily young women.
The current government is calling for an internet crackdown, which cuts the citizens' access to the media. Mass arrests are being carried out to end these protests but little is known about them as news sources are constantly being barred. However, if we are educated on the issue, we can be their voice on the media.
What can we do?
Currently, the media is flooded with news and information around the Ukraine crisis while finding articles on the crisis in Iran is extremely difficult. This could be because the war in Ukraine affects the global economic situation or that it flooded refugees into European nations, however it is important to note the effect of the Iranian crisis on us. Many middle-eastern countries have been making recent progress on women’s rights, however this setback is backwards-tracking progress in the Women’s Rights Movement made over the recent decades. The quicker this issue gains the attention it needs, the more long-term damage we can prevent.
However, sitting kilometres away, it is hard to believe we can do anything about this. Although there is no simple solution to a decades-long issue, we can use our access to freedom of speech to spread awareness and knowledge so that we can all shed light on the long and arduous battle citizens of Iran face against authorities.
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