World
November 7, 2024 12:20
tel aviv - Women protesting against strict Islamic clothing regulations are increasingly being labeled as mentally unstable by the Iranian regime, leading to their demands and actions being dismissed as illegitimate.
It is a tactic increasingly used by the Iranian regime: women advocating for more freedoms are labeled as mentally unstable, allowing their demands and actions to be delegitimized. However, this approach is losing effectiveness with a predominantly young population that is growing weary of the Islamic grip of the ayatollahs. Despite this, breaking free from this control remains impossible. This was exemplified by the recent suicide of a 16-year-old girl, who feared the consequences of her 'crime': wearing jeans during a school trip.
Meanwhile, a student named Ahoo Daryaei has quickly become a new icon in the fight against the oppression of women, both within and outside Iran. In the West, her images, walking quietly in her underwear on the campus of Azad University in Tehran, have been likened to the Chinese man who, during the 1989 Tiananmen protests, stood in front of a tank with a bag in his hand.
In Iran, comparisons are drawn to figures like Vida Movahed, known as the 'Girl of Enghelab', who stood on a utility box in the street holding her headscarf on a stick in protest. Both Movahed and Daryaei were accused of mental issues by the authorities. Another notable case is Sahar Khodayar, who set herself on fire in 2019 due to the prospect of imprisonment for attempting to enter a soccer stadium disguised as a man. She was known as the 'blue girl', after the colors of her favorite team Estghlal. These women were labeled with psychiatric disorders by the authorities.
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, now residing in the US, revealed details about Daryaei and her situation. Alinejad initiated a campaign against the compulsory headscarf in Iran a decade ago, leading the regime to portray her as mentally unstable to discredit her. Alinejad even faced assassination attempts in the US by the Iranian regime.
Friends of Daryaei described her as exceptionally intelligent and courageous, standing up against oppression both at school and university. Despite the regime's claims of her mental instability, her Instagram account, filled with family photos, contradicts this narrative. Daryaei is currently being held in a psychiatric facility, closely monitored by security forces, with restricted access for regular medical personnel.
Daryaei has become a symbol of the 'women, life, freedom' movement that emerged two years ago after the death of a Kurdish woman in custody over clothing violations. The mass crackdown on protests at the time resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The discontent among the population has not subsided, leading to actions against those advocating for change. The regime recently confirmed Daryaei's presence in a psychiatric institution, attributing it to family and psychological issues, preventing her return to university.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the Iranian authorities' actions, criticizing their use of psychiatric institutions as a means to suppress dissenting voices.
Stringent dress code enforcement has intensified in recent months, with increased presence of morality police in the streets. Surveillance measures, including facial recognition cameras, have been implemented, adding pressure on women and girls in the country.
The case of a 16-year-old girl named Arezzo Khavari, who committed suicide after being reprimanded for not adhering to dress code during a school trip, highlights the severe consequences faced by individuals in Iran for minor infractions of Islamic regulations. Khavari's tragic fate underscores the oppressive environment for women in Iran and neighboring countries.