Behind the Headlines/December 17

In tonight’s program of Behind the Headlines we will look at the continuation of human rights violations in Iran and speak to Ms Maryam Shariatmadari, a women’s rights activist and one of the “daughters of revolution street” who have removed their hejab in public.

In the second part of the program we will speak to the independent lawyer Mr Ali Hosseini who would shed some light on the corruption within the Islamic republic regime’s justice system and at the end we will visit the latest news about the ongoing workers strike in Ahwaz.

Ms Maryam Shariatmadari:
The hejab is not the only issue for the Iranian women. During our student years we used to start the day with shouting “Death to America”. But nowadays we hear from the protestors on the streets of Iran that the US is not our enemy and condemn those officials who have stolen the public’s money and fled to US with it!

The issue of hejab had to come to the fore as for forty years there were muted protests against it and it suddenly burst into open. They can no longer crackdown on this issue and it is an irreversible protest movement by the Iranian women.

This regime has been the main enemy of the Iranian women’s rights since its inception. However, our women are aware of their civil and human rights and are telling the regime that they want themback.

Iranian women have reached a stage of self awareness in their struggle for equality and the regime’s repressive measure do not work any more.