Will Iranian protesters start a revolution?

The Iranian government works on the basis of very conservative laws that extensively limit the rights of women. Fathers can decide who their daughters marry, women themselves must wear hijabs, and most importantly, the Iranian government has consistently suppressed the rights of expression, education, and systemically obstructed women from developing their careers and well-being (Hallam, Jonny, and Artemis Moshtaghian.). In the past few months, many have been punished and even killed by the infamous “morality police”. The people are protesting. This time, the government’s corruption is clearer than ever, and the people are demanding a revolution.

Violent protest in Tehran, September 21 (“Iran executes second protester after rapid trial as EU plans more sanctions.”).

The main government force that has been stopping protests, and arresting/killing protesters has been the morality police. It is a unit of Iran’s police force dedicated to enforcing civil conduct in the streets. This includes ensuring hijabs are worn by all women above ‘the age of puberty’ (which is not clearly defined, though most students are forced to wear them by second grade when they are 7-8 years old). Though the organization doesn't run on government laws, it enforces social regulation based on the state's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law (Ghaedi, Monir.).

Back in September 2022, the morality police arrested a 22-year-old woman in Tehran, Jina Mahsa Amini, for wearing what they deemed inappropriate clothing. When heading to jail, the footage shows that she was severely beaten by the police (Strzyżyńska, Weronika.). After they had taken her to a police station, she slipped into a coma. Three days later, on September 16, she died at Kasra hospital (Strzyżyńska, Weronika.).

Since then, two main slogans have fueled the protests: “Death to the Dictator”, and “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Though these have been some of the biggest protests since the Iranian Revolution, hundreds have been arrested, and many dozens of protesters have been killed or sentenced to the death penalty (“What Iran Doesn't Want You To See | Super Users.”).

The Iranian government has always ruled on the basis of fear. To enforce its agenda, many groups, laws, and mechanisms have been put into place by the state to limit the power of the people. The government is technically a democracy, but uses the Guardian Council (formally the Shourā-ye Negahbān) in order to reject laws by the parliament and candidates for the presidency when these go against the government’s interests (“How Iran's repression machine works.”). Journalism in Iran is a dangerous profession, and police can arrest any journalist at any time. The judiciary system is widely controlled by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and recent investigations have found over 63 bank accounts by the former judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani, where money was wired to judges all over the country (Stone, Pooya.), suggesting nation-wide corruption at the highest levels.

Because of their archaic stance on women's rights, countries and international organizations are now developing sanctions on Iran. Some have even claimed Iran a violator of human rights. Josep Borrell, the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief has initiated processes for EU leaders to impose new sanctions on Iran for its crackdown on the protesters as well as its support for Russia by providing them lethal drones for the war in Ukraine (Psaledakis, Daphne.). Iran has been expelled from the UN commission on women (Hallam, Jonny, and Artemis Moshtaghian.), and the US has set numerous sanctions on Iranian officials (Psaledakis, Daphne.).

Led by a failing government, Iranians have understood that reform is now impossible, and a revolution is the next move. The new generation of protesters is fearless. They have mostly been born after the Iranian Revolution, understood that they have nothing to lose, and are now going all in (“How Iran's repression machine works.”). Young women are reforming their schools by replacing portraits of Khomeini and Khamenei (the only two leaders of Iran for the past 40 years) with the Women Life Freedom slogan, setting their hijabs on fire, and chasing pro-regime educators out of the schools. The Islamic Republic has failed in providing the new generations with a future, so the people are going to build their own.

Sources

Ghaedi, Monir. “Who are Iran's 'morality police'? – DW – 12/04/2022.” DW, https://www.dw.com/en/who-are-irans-morality-police/a-63200711. Accessed 22 December 2022.

Hallam, Jonny, and Artemis Moshtaghian. “Iran expelled from UN women's rights body.” CNN, 14 December 2022, https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/middleeast/iran-expelled-from-un-womens-rights-body-intl/index.html. Accessed 22 December 2022.

“How Iran's repression machine works.” YouTube, 22 December 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caUMtmxa5E8. Accessed 22 December 2022.

“Iran executes second protester after rapid trial as EU plans more sanctions.” CNBC, 12 December 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/12/iran-executes-second-protester-after-rapid-trial-as-eu-plans-more-sanctions-.html. Accessed 22 December 2022.

Psaledakis, Daphne. “U.S. slaps sanctions on Iran officials over protest crackdown.” Reuters, 21 December 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/us-slaps-new-sanctions-iranian-officials-over-protest-crackdown-2022-12-21/. Accessed 22 December 2022.

Stone, Pooya. “The Systematic Corruption in Iran's Judiciary.” Iran Focus, 15 June 2020, https://iranfocus.com/economy/34572-the-systematic-corruption-in-iran-s-judiciary/. Accessed 22 December 2022.

Strzyżyńska, Weronika. “Iranian woman dies 'after being beaten by morality police' over hijab law.” The Guardian, 16 September 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/16/iranian-woman-dies-after-being-beaten-by-morality-police-over-hijab-law. Accessed 22 December 2022.

“What Iran Doesn't Want You To See | Super Users.” YouTube, 17 December 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1meE0CY54CM. Accessed 22 December 2022.