"Iranian Authorities Intensify Crackdown Amid Spread of 'Hijab Protests'... 'Supreme National Security Council Convened'"

Joining Protest Wearing Hijab with Hair Exposed
Shaved Head Performance Also Carried Out... Reporter Covering 'Hijab Suspicious Death' Arrested

Protesters on the outskirts of Iran are lighting fires and blocking streets to protest the suspicious death of a woman in her 20s. Photo by AP, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] As anti-government protests in Iran, sparked by the suspicious death of a woman in her 20s who was arrested for not properly wearing a hijab, continue to expand, young women are taking the lead in on-site demonstrations.

On the 27th (local time), the US daily The New York Times (NYT) reported on Iranian women expressing their resistance in various ways during protests that have lasted more than ten days across Iran.

Local women are throwing hijabs into bonfires to burn them, dancing in front of security personnel with their hair exposed, and performing acts such as cutting their hair during protests.

The protests began after Mahsa Amini (22), a Kurdish woman arrested in Tehran on the 13th of this month for not properly wearing a hijab, fell into a coma and died three days later.

Reports emerged that she lost consciousness after being repeatedly struck on the head during interrogation, which triggered accumulated public dissatisfaction toward the leadership across Iran. This quickly led to large-scale protests demanding the regime's resignation in Tehran and other parts of the country.

Mariam, an artist in her 30s, said in an interview, "I burned hijabs and shaved my hair with my friends," adding, "(The government) cannot control me or define me by my hair."

Various videos of women's acts of resistance have been posted on social media. Solidarity protests supporting Iranian women have also continued worldwide.

Local activists explained that Iranian women, who have long been oppressed by mandatory hijab laws and male-dominated legislation, have nurtured a spirit of resistance and are now at the center of this explosive reaction.

In response, the Iranian government has consistently enforced harsh crackdowns. Authorities have forcibly dispersed protesters with tear gas and arrested large numbers of participants, while restricting internet access in some areas to prevent the sharing of protest videos.

On the 22nd, authorities detained Niloufar Hamedi, a local daily newspaper reporter who first reported on Amini’s suspicious death. On the same day, Paezeh Hashemi, a women’s activist and daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was arrested on charges of inciting protests.

Deaths have also been increasing as the protests continue. The Iranian authorities announced through state media that the death toll had reached 41. However, Iran Human Rights (IHR), an organization based in Norway, reported that at least 76 people have died.

Local media Iran International, citing the semi-official Fars News Agency, reported that the Iranian authorities plan to convene the Supreme National Security Council that night in response to the ongoing protests.