Are Iran鈥檚 protestors gaining ground? It鈥檚 hard to tell.
| Cairo
An Iranian lawmaker said Sunday that Iran鈥檚 government is 鈥減aying attention to the people鈥檚 real demands,鈥� state media reported, a day after a top official suggested that the country鈥檚 morality police whose conduct helped trigger months of protests has been shut down.
The role of the morality police, which enforces veiling laws, came under scrutiny after a detainee, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, died in its custody in mid-September. Ms. Amini had been held for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic鈥檚 strict dress codes. Her death unleashed a wave of unrest that has grown into calls for the downfall of Iran鈥檚 clerical rulers.
Iran鈥檚 chief prosecutor Mohamed Jafar Montazeri said on Saturday the morality police 鈥渉ad been closed,鈥� the semi-official news agency ISNA reported. The agency did not provide details, and state media hasn鈥檛 reported such a purported decision.
In a report carried by ISNA on Sunday, lawmaker Nezamoddin Mousavi signaled a less confrontational approach toward the protests.
鈥淏oth the administration and parliament insisted that paying attention to the people鈥檚 demand that is mainly economic is the best way for achieving stability and confronting the riots,鈥� he said, following a closed meeting with several senior Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi.
Mr. Mousavi did not address the reported closure of the morality police.
The Associated Press has been unable to confirm the current status of the force, established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the country鈥檚 Islamic dress code.
Since September, there has been a reported decline in the number of morality police officers across Iranian cities and an increase in women walking in public without headscarves, contrary to Iranian law.
Mr. Montazeri, the chief prosecutor, provided no further details about the future of the morality police or if its closure was nationwide and permanent. However he added that Iran鈥檚 judiciary will 鈥樷�榗ontinue to monitor behavior at the community level.鈥欌��
In a report by ISNA on Friday, Mr. Montazeri was quoted as saying that the government was reviewing the mandatory hijab law. 鈥淲e are working fast on the issue of hijab and we are doing our best to come up with a thoughtful solution to deal with this phenomenon that hurts everyone鈥檚 heart,鈥� he said, without offering details.
Saturday鈥檚 announcement could signal an attempt to appease the public and find a way to end the protests in which, according to rights groups, at least 470 people have been killed. More than 18,000 people have been arrested in the protests and the violent security force crackdown that followed, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group monitoring the demonstrations.
Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Mr. Montazeri鈥檚 statement about closing the morality police could be an attempt to pacify domestic unrest without making real concessions to protesters.
鈥樷�楾he secular middle class loathes the organization [morality police] for restricting personal freedoms,鈥� said Mr. Alfoneh. On the other hand, the 鈥渦nderprivileged and socially conservative class resents how they conveniently keep away from enforcing the hijab legislation鈥� in wealthier areas of Iran鈥檚 cities.
When asked about Mr. Montazeri鈥檚 statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian gave no direct answer. 鈥樷�楤e sure that in Iran, within the framework of democracy and freedom, which very clearly exists in Iran, everything is going very well,鈥欌�� Mr. Amirabdollahian said, speaking during a visit to Belgrade, Serbia.
The anti-government demonstrations, now in their third month, have shown no sign of stopping, despite a violent crackdown. Protesters say they are fed up after decades of social and political repression, including a strict dress code imposed on women. Young women continue to play a leading role in the protests, stripping off the mandatory Islamic headscarf to express their rejection of clerical rule.
After the outbreak of the protests, the Iranian government hadn鈥檛 appeared willing to heed the protesters鈥� demands. It has continued to crack down on protesters, including sentencing at least seven arrested protesters to death. Authorities continue to blame the unrest on hostile foreign powers, without providing evidence.
But in recent days, Iranian state media platforms seemed to be adopting a more conciliatory tone, expressing a desire to engage with the problems of the Iranian people.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
