In Iran, The protests that broke out a few months ago against the mandatory wearing of hijab by women have not subsided to this day. While the Iranian government is launching severe repression against the protesters, the news that ‘15,000 of the protesters have been sentenced to death’ has caused international shock. ‘What is the reality of that?’ That is the question that the international community has been anxiously raising.
The fight against the hijab did not start off smoothly in Iran. Blood and tears have erupted. Last September, the Iranian government ordered that ‘from nine-year-old girls to old women, wearing the hijab is compulsory’. A special police unit called ‘Kasth Ershad’ was also deployed to monitor the way women dress. In that context, a young girl named Masha Amini from Sahis city, Kurdistan province of Iran, went with her family to visit a relative in the capital Tehran on September 13. The special police unit intercepted her and arrested Masha, claiming that she was not wearing hijab properly. Masha, who was brutally beaten in police custody, died on September 16. After news of her death spread like wildfire, anti-hijab protests erupted in Iran.
The Iranian government was unable to control the intensity of the protest as thousands of people gathered, despite the government shutting down internet services to control the protest. Tens of thousands of women and men dressed in black took to the streets of Tehran following the shooting death of protester Hananen Kian by police. Many women protested by cutting their hair, burning their hijabs and posting videos. As the anti-hijab protest continues to this day, the Iranian government has launched a severe crackdown on the protestors.
It was at this stage that the news that ‘15,000 of the protesters have been sentenced to death’ shocked the international community. Iran’s government has been condemned by many countries. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Nov. 15 that “the execution of 15,000 protesters is barbaric.” The international media, which investigated the veracity of this news, has now stated that ‘there is no complete truth in the news’.
According to a letter published on November 6, such a report was based on speculation. That is, ‘Do not be soft on those who fight against the government. People are engaged in warfare against God. 227 Iranian MPs have signed a letter asking the judiciary to “deal with them severely”. Iranian courts are said to be able to sentence those who wage war against God to death according to local law. International human rights organizations say that 15,000 people have been arrested by the Iranian police for anti-government protests. Linking this information with correspondence of MPs, information such as ‘15,000 people have been sentenced to death’ has taken over social media like wildfire.
Of the 15,000 people arrested, 2,000 have been formally charged. Five of them have been sentenced to death, according to international media. The Iranian government has not yet denied this news.
“The government of Iran sees the protest against compulsory hijab as a protest against God, not against the state. That is the view of the religious fundamentalists who are the rulers. Today’s freedom-loving generation is revolting against religious fundamentalism. “The fire of revolution, once ignited, cannot be extinguished,” say international political observers.
Just like the 1979 revolution, the youth is leading this anti-hijab movement. Iran is headed for a revolution again!