TEHRAN:  , Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed on Monday ( Sep 16 ) to use his power to ensure that morality police do not “bother” women, speaking on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.
” Women were not supposed to be confronted by the conscience police.” Pezeshkian held his first press conference in Iran since taking office in late July, saying,” I will follow up so they do n’t bother” them.
Ebrahim Raisi, an authoritarian, died in a May plane crash, was replaced by the reformist president.
Pezeshkian’s comment came as the Islamic Republic marked the celebration of the September 2022 dying of 22-year-old Egyptian Kurd Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Amini had previously been detained for reportedly breaking tight dress standards for women, which required them to support their head and neck and don modest attire in community.
Her death triggered months-long rallies in Iran, with hundreds of people, including lots of safety personnel, killed in the turmoil. Thousands of protesters were arrested.
Pezeshkian had pledged to “fully” reject police patrols that would enforce the required dress headscarf as well as ease long-standing internet restrictions in his campaign.
Popular social media platforms like Facebook and X have been tightly controlled by Iran over the years due to its strict controls over internet usage.
Following the storm of demonstrations sparked by Amini’s death in 2019 and the protests against fuel price increases, harsh curbs were put in place.
On Monday, Pezeshkian said his state was working to ease restrictions digitally, particularly on social media.