Protests against Iran’s regime have ensued in full force since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. As the anti-hijab protests are still ongoing on a large scale all across Iran, thousands of women are flooding the streets to voice their opinion and show solidarity with the cause. In the midst of this, Iranian security forces have taken the streets by storm, armed with their rifles and firing mercilessly at the protestors.
As per medical reports and observations, the bullet wounds sustained by women are distinctly different to those of men. It has been repeatedly seen that women’s breasts, faces and genitalia are being targeted by the forces. Medics who tended to the injured made these observations and it was understood that these “birdshot pellets” targeted certain parts of women’s bodies. On the contrary, men were seen to have bullets lodged in their backs, arms, legs and buttocks. This grave injustice has become the subject of discussion by several humanitarian bodies across the world.
From an interview with a doctor with The Guardian, it was known that this was done "because they wanted to destroy the beauty of these women." Another physician recalled how he had to treat a patient who had 2 bullets in her genitals and 10 more bullets lodged in her inner thigh. It was a very critical situation as the 2 bullets were stuck between her urethra and vaginal opening. Treating these women has also been taking a toll on the medics and doctors, as they are also appalled by the brutality that the women have to face while fighting for their basic right to the freedom of expression.
The very basis of these protests is to boycott the country’s strict rules pertaining to women having to dress modestly and the mandate of wearing the hijab. This is the retaliation to the arrest and the death of Mahsa Amini as a result of police brutality, for allegedly defying the Sharia-based hijab law. The late Amini was beaten to death until she entered a coma and was shortly met with death after that. Women are showing their dissent by chanting anti-government slogans, removing their headscarves and cutting their hair to what is an unacceptable length according to their regime. A doctor from Karaj, near Tehran, has maintained that the security forces seemingly "want to get rid of their sexual complexes by hurting these young people." This seems to be a ploy undertaken by the forces to suppress the women and stop them from participating in further protests.
Certain groups of security forces like the Basij militia have been seen to disobey and violate riot control practices, such as avoiding shooting at vital organs and shooting at the feet.
The hijab is deemed mandatory by the Iranian government since its Islamic revolution in 1979. Generally, wearing the hijab is a personal choice for women, but in that country, not wearing it is seen as an offence. Given the misogynistic rule of the Iranian government, this gender-based violence comes as no surprise to onlookers.
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