Following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, hacktivist collective Anonymous has stepped in to protest against the Iranian government’s morality police.
On September 13, Amini was arrested for not wearing a hijab while traveling from the western Iranian province of Kurdistan to Tehran. As per reports, Amini died in the hospital on September 16 due to police torture for not following the dress code.
Her death turned the country into a widespread protest, with thousands of people demonstrating across Tehran. Iran’s “morality police” is known for taking strict actions against citizens.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
The morality police enforce a strict dress code for women in the country. This section of government requires Islamic women to wear hijabs (headscarves) in public or whenever they go outside. According to a report, the 22-year-old was beaten with a baton and her head was banged against a vehicle by the “molarity police”. She was in a coma for three days before the police announced that she died of “natural causes”.
Amini’s death yet again brought into focus the long battle the women of Iran have been fighting against oppression in the country. With fresh protests breaking out in the country, Anonymous has decided to side with the people in the ongoing conflict and help them fight against the government.
Anonymous warns the Iranian government
For the brave people of Iran: #opIran is engaged.
#MahsaAmini #IranProtests2022 #مهسا_امینی #Mahsa_Amin pic.twitter.com/wmXfXGuHvE
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) September 20, 2022
In a Twitter post, Anonymous released a video that mentioned all the wrongdoing that Iran’s government has done to its citizens. The footage showed some graphic content where the morality police beat women on the streets for not following the dress code.
As per reports, the morality police have also banned tight trousers, ripped jeans, and bright, colorful clothing. The country has placed the dress code on women since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Anonymous assured the Iranian citizens that it would “not allow” this cruelty against women in Iran. “The Iranian people are not alone. Anonymous will not keep the Iranian government alive on the internet as long as they fight the dictatorial rule murderous cops,” read the text in the video.
The hacker collective also spoke about the internet censorship in Iran that limits people from finding out about the ill deeds of the government and assured them that the current government in power would be overthrown.