"The straw that broke the camel's back".

This is how Azadeh Kian, professor of political science at Paris VII Diderot University and specialist in Iran, describes the "suspicious" death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian girl who fell into a coma after her arrested by the morality police and died on September 16 in a hospital in Tehran.

Since then, the country has seen an increase in demonstrations to denounce this brigade, responsible for enforcing the obligation to cover the hair and body up to the knees.

The rallies spread to fifteen cities, also reaching the capital and its universities.

In Tehran in particular, protesters blocked streets, threw stones at security forces, set fire to police vehicles and trash cans, and chanted anti-government slogans, such as "Death to [Supreme Leader] Khamenei".

For Azadeh Kian, the death of Mahsa Amini is a catalyst.

The anger that has taken hold of the Iranian street bears other demands: "Many of the young people who take part in these demonstrations are unemployed, women are among the most affected by poverty. Today we have the impression that the Iranians can no longer breathe. They are hit hard by the economic crisis and can no longer stand being given orders".

05:06

© Reuters

Veils undone, tight pants, jeans with holes...

In Iran, covering your hair in public is mandatory under Iranian Islamic law, which is based on a strict interpretation of Sharia.

The vice police – officially known as the Gasht-e Ershad, or “guidance patrol” – are responsible for ensuring compliance with this dress law.

However, no precise definition of a "correct" wearing of the veil is advanced, which leaves this power to the discretion of the authorities.

According to statements by Iranian clerics and leaders, it has become customary to prohibit women from wearing short coats above the knee, tight pants and jeans with holes, as well as brightly colored outfits. 

"The Islamic Republic has made the veil sacred since its inception. It was Ayatollah Khomeini himself who announced that the veil of women represented the blood of martyrs", specifies Azadeh Kian.

From then on, the country's authorities fell into their own trap.

By presenting the veil as the honor of the Islamic Republic, they have made it a political object.

Today, they are confronted with a younger generation questioning this imposed dress code.

“It is not surprising to see that the response from the authorities is increasingly strong and increasingly repressive,” remarks Azadeh Kian.

From Hezbollah to Ghast-e Ershad

To enforce the wearing of the compulsory veil, informal militias have existed since the beginnings of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. and this could give rise to drifts, like jets of acid in the face”, explains Azadeh Kian.

Under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013), the Ghast-e-Ershads took on a more particular importance, with an increased presence of their white and green vans on the boulevards and in front of the shopping centers of the major Iranian urban centers, stalking the "ill-veiled".

The device is prowled: once filled, the trucks of Gahst-e Ershad take the direction of a police station where the young women arrested are imprisoned while their parents come to pick them up with "descent" outfits.

But at the same time, explains Azadeh Kian, "women are becoming more and more vindictive. They no longer allow themselves to be done and show their hair in disagreement with the compulsory wearing of the veil in Iran".

It is quite common to come across in Iran, especially in the cities, undone veils or large locks protruding from the forehead, transparent fabrics, or even no veil at all.

We also speak with irony of "convertible veil" that the young women hasten to put back in place at the sight of the morality police.

A prohibited application but available on smartphones, "Gershad", has been used since 2016 to warn users of the presence of these brigades on their journey.

Under the era of Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) and Hassan Rohani (2013-2021), two moderate presidents, it was not uncommon to see these brigades mocked, reviled or even insulted.

"The difference is also that today everything is filmed and sent to social networks. And this new generation is very aware of its power in the face of these repressive brigades", recalls Azadeh Kian.

Carte blanche to repression

"Ten years ago, we could talk to these people," observes Azadeh Kian.

But times have changed.

"President Raissi has given carte blanche to this police, under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, to hit, beat and enforce these laws at all costs by the population".

For the researcher, the repression of the Gasht-e Ershad has clearly increased in 2021 with the coming to power of this ultra-conservative head of state.  

It is true that in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the president's room for maneuver is limited.

However, from one government to another, differences in social policies, particularly in the area of ​​mores, can be felt.

A year after taking office, Ebrahim Raissi, renowned for his austerity and qualified as a traditionalist in terms of morals, begins to imprint his mark.

"Any opposition is repressed. See the wave of arrests of Iranian filmmakers like Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof this summer," said Azadeh Kian.

However, in recent days, the death of Mahsa Amini has opened the door to criticism against this policy of repression of morals.

Even among parliamentarians, some are calling for the action of the Gasht-e Ershad to be curbed.

“I believe that due to the ineffectiveness of the Gasht-e Ershad in conveying the culture of the hijab, this unit should be removed, so that the children of this country will not be afraid when they come across this force,” said so declared the parliamentarian Moeenoddin Saeedi.

Another deputy, Jalal Rashidi Koochi, quoted by the ISNA agency, estimated that this police "causes damage to the country".

"In order to avoid the repetition of such cases, the methods used by these orientation patrols (...) should be reviewed", affirmed for his part the conservative Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Parliament. 

According to the Organization for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice - an influential organization affiliated with the Iranian state - "the arrest and prosecution of people who wear their headscarves incorrectly must stop as this has the effect of increase social tensions. The law must be amended so that this is only considered an offence."

Currently, young women arrested can face up to three months in prison.

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app