Iran’s morality police is the component of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), tasked with enforcing the country’s laws against immodesty and societal vices.

In the early evening of September 13 Amini and her brother arrived in Tehrān to visit relatives. As they left the train station, the Gasht-e Ershad seized Amini for “improper” clothing and told them that she would be taken to a detention centre for a corrective class on mandatory public attire. The Aminis protested—they had only just arrived in the city and were unaware of the new enforcement guidelines—and the officers responded with force. Other women detained by the Gasht-e Ershad that day reported that Jina Mahsa Amini was severely beaten in the patrol van for resisting the arrest. The Gen Z component of the protests was particularly noteworthy, distinguishing it from previous Iranian protest movements, explained Iran-born and UK-based Pourzand.The song title comes from #Baraye, a hashtag Iranians used to explain why they were protesting. One of the tweets in the song simply states, “For yearning for an ordinary life” – a central demand of the primarily young protesters. Protests following Ms Amini's death began on Saturday and have now spread to more than 80 Iranian cities. The fragility was exposed last year by women, the officially fragile 51 percent of Iran’s 87 million population. Adopting the rallying cry, “ Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” – Women, Life, Freedom – Iran’s women led the latest charge against the regime with a mix of courage, creativity and doggedness that electrified the world.

The hijab has been compulsory for women in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the morality police are charged with enforcing that and other restrictions. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said the government was "deeply concerned by reports that people have been killed and many more injured". Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? While the government is pushing for the adoption of the “Hijab and Chastity” law, Slavin doubts it will end the regime’s worries. “Overall, the government has lost the battle for the obligatory hijab – they can’t arrest all the women going around without hijab,” she explained. “They’ve lost the battle, they simply refuse to admit it.” Mahsa Amini's death after injuries sustained while in police custody for wearing an 'improper' hijab is an appalling and egregious affront to human rights," the official said.

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A year after Amini’s death in custody, the figures may be disputed, but the facts are clear. “The government has very effectively crushed the protests that erupted last year. But anger at the regime is even worse,” said Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Washington DC-based Stimson Center. “The regime has been very effective in terms of repression, but it’s been a total failure at improving the lives of ordinary Iranians.” At 38, Pourzand belongs to the “Green movement” generation of protesters who took to the streets to challenge the results of the 2009 presidential elections, which denied a victory to the reformist candidate. Since the protests erupted last year, Iranian authorities have used a combination of old and new measures to suppress public anti-regime displays.

Iranians have a lot to worry about, including the rising cost of living, hyperinflation, corruption, economic collapse, and isolation under international sanctions while the regime plays hardball in nuclear negotiations. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.The explosive mix of public rage and regime suppression makes it hard to say who really won the day, much less the year. “It’s a mixed picture: on the one hand, society is miserable, angry, restive. On the other hand, Iranians have shown that the regime no longer calls the shots,” said Slavin. “It’s a very fragile moment for Iran.” ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ She was quiet but ambitious, and she was set to begin studying at a university in late 2022. Just months before her death, she began running a boutique shop that her father had opened on her behalf. Detention and death A human rights group said at least 31 civilians had been killed in the unrest, while state television put the death toll at 17. In Australia, advocates are urging the federal government to "call out" Iranian authorities' harsh response to the protests.