Women walking in northern Tehran, November 2024 (Vahid Salemi/AP)
Originally broadcast by The Guardian’s Today in Focus:
Iran’s Authorities Step Up Surveillance of Women to Enforce Hijab
Deepa Parent reports on women defying Iran’s laws for mandatory hijab, more than three years after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, beaten and detained for “inappropriate attire”.
Viral videos show women riding motorbike and dancing in the streets of Iran’s capital Tehran. Photographer Kiana Hyeri speaks of her amazement at the bare heads and crop tops.
However, Deepa notes that the relaxation over hijab is more than offset by economic problems, a water crisis, and Iran’s record number of executions. There is always the prospect of a renewed cultural crackdown by hardliners.
