Gender, the Rise of Authoritarianism, and Democracy in Iran

In September 2022, a horrific event happened to Mahsa/Zhina Amini, a young woman from Iran's marginalized Kurdish minority, traveled to Tehran with her brother. She was apprehended and arrested by Iran's "morality" police (gasht-e ershad), who habitually and arbitrarily jail women failing to adhere to the nation's oppressive and discriminatory compulsory veiling regulations. Eyewitnesses reported that officers forcibly placed her into a van and assaulted her before transporting her to the Vozara prison center in Tehran. Mahsa/Zhina Amini and her brother were informed that she was being relocated to Vozara for a "educational" program intended to "reform" the conduct of women and girls who contravene the nation's stringent Islamic dress code. She was found dead days later (Amnesty International, 2023). 

Hijab headscarf did not become obligatory in Iran until April 1983. Article 638 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code criminalizes women for "publicly violating any religious taboo", and the idea started in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution when Ayatollah Khomeini mandated that women cover their bodies and hair in public spaces. In Iran, hijab not only represents identity and freedom, but also a symbol of oppression. 

In July 2023, Iranian legislators proposed a measure titled "Bill to Protect the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab". On September 20, 2023, parliament adopted legislation aimed at instituting cruel penalties for violation of hijab regulations. The legislation instituted 71 provisions on current measures, while enforcing substantial penalties, including a fine of 360 million Iranian rials (about $8,500) and incarceration periods spanning from 5 to 10 years for noncompliance. (Geostrata, 2025).

Thus far, this matter remains highly sensitive where conservatives insist hijab to be compulsory while reformists want to keep this as individual choice. Many protests are still being upheld in Iran, such as the strongest forces against the regime called "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" or "Woman, Life, Freedom". Iranian women started to demonstrate against limitations on the hijab and other issues pertaining to political freedom and gender equality. Even so, in the crackdown on protests, 14,000 people, including children, were arrested, according to UN rights official Volker Turk.

Many activists, including dissidents, members of ethnic and religious minorities, and human rights advocates, are still behind bars on national security allegations or serving sentences following hideous and unfair trials. With no government inquiries into their use of excessive and deadly force, torture, sexual assault, and other grave crimes, security personnel operate with impunity.  In order to enforce the oppressive mandatory hijab legislation, authorities have increased their efforts.  Family members of those slain during the protests have also been targeted by security forces.

Security forces killed, tortured, sexually assaulted protesters including women and children. In September 2022, the police put an end to large-scale demonstrations that broke out around the nation. The reported fatalities of some 500 protesters, including at least 68 children, are being looked into by human rights organizations. According to reports, security personnel used a variety of bullets to shoot the victims in most of the cases. On the other hand, it should be kept in mind that Iran is the world's top practitioner of the penalty.

Veiling, Surveillance, and Democratic Decline: Iran within the Authoritarianism

For the time being, countries around the world are experiencing democracy decline and the rising tension of authoritarianism. Iran is getting near to an oppressive governance, and this is unsurprising, given that this is happening globally. Law is being used as legal oppression, the military is being used against civilians, it is happening everywhere. 

The veilling law and the use of military forces against protestors in Iran are no other than another episode of democratic backsliding. As they grow into a dictatorial government who does not care about individual rights. For women and girls who refuse to wear veils or hijab, the new "Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab," which was approved in 2024, imposes severe penalties, such as the death penalty, flogging, lengthy prison sentences, astronomical fines, travel bans, and limitations on their access to education and employment. Iran wants legal repression, gender-based control, and disenfranchisement of women. Many international human rights organizations, UN bodies, and NGOs have criticized this form of discrimination and gender apartheid. Additionally, Iran's Ministry of Education declared that students who disobey the hijab regulations risk of being excluded from education. This law restricts women's freedom by imposing severe penalties for any type of transgression. Women face numerous restrictions and are criminalized for minor infractions.

This leaves many questions such as, "is this truly the form of freedom that the state should provide to its citizens?"

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