Iran To Unveil Stricter Hijab Enforcement Plans For Schoolgirls

When the 'national radio' was introduced in Iran in 1939, there was an abundance of print media in the country. However, nearly 80 percent of the population was illiterate and unable to engage with the politically diverse media landscape. Radio emerged as a platform accessible to all, providing a means for engaging with the nation.

For four decades, Radio Iran served as a platform for the monarchy, promoting Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's "positive nationalism" rhetoric. It also aided the country's technocrats in advancing a robust development plan, supported by the 1949 US-sponsored Point Four plan. This initiative, hailed by Washington as "a bold new program," aimed to leverage US scientific and industrial advancements for the growth and development of underdeveloped regions.

Radio Iran started its programming with news and entertainment for a few hours a day with the national hymn being broadcast at the beginning and end of daily programs. The hymn's starting lyric "Long live the Sha!" was indicative of the radio's political slant although leftist intellectuals and non-militant Islamists had their own share of the radio's limited airtime.

Radio Iran's biggest contribution to Iran's development, particularly in the 1950s, and 1960s was its advocacy of elements of progress including literacy, industrial and agricultural modernization, family planning and public education about concepts such as women's liberty and emancipation. The radio also advocated liberal ideas about political participation and the rights of workers and farmers.

During the 1950s and 1960s, as Radio Iran expanded to 24/7 programming, it embraced the ideals of the United Nations for a better future for humanity. One notable program, "Let's Make the World a Better Place for All," exemplified this vision. The radio aimed to connect Iranians with the global community, emphasizing their role in a rapidly progressing world. Live broadcasts of events like the Olympics and milestones such as satellite launches underscored this effort to keep Iranians abreast of global developments.

Meanwhile, without succumbing to the influence of Muslim extremists, the radio aired religious programs during the Islamic holy months of Muharram and Ramadan, spotlighting key Shiite religious events. Additionally, a prominent cleric, Hossein Ali Rashed, hosted a highly popular hour-long primetime program every Thursday, attracting millions of listeners across Iran.

Perhaps more significant than all other programs from the 1950s to the late 1970s, was a three-hour long daily women's program every morning from 8:30 to 11:30, which offered more than cooking, public health and home economics points. The program "Woman and Life" hosted by renowned female celebrities such as Moloud Atefi, Forouzandeh Arbabi and Sorour Mahneshan played a key part in introducing the idea of women's equality with men. The idea was conveyed so delicately that it faced no objection from the traditional segments of the population.

At night, the radio showcased Iran's finest classical and pop music, along with the latest hits from the US and Europe. Afternoon hosts engaged listeners with discussions over tea. A program titled "Of Everything, Everywhere, Everybody" provided practical public knowledge interspersed with popular songs.

The news programs, while consistently beginning with coverage of the Shah, remained relatively impartial and politically balanced, free from ideological bias. Current affairs segments permitted moderate criticism of the system's deficiencies. Additionally, content from Tehran's outspoken press was incorporated into radio broadcasts without fear of reprisal for broadcasters, writers, or presenters. It was a regulated media landscape, characterized by limited control rather than totalitarianism, allowing for certain civil and social liberties.

The 1979 Islamic revolution wrought profound changes in Iran, including a radical transformation of the national radio. Overnight, women singers vanished from the airwaves, replaced by mournful songs depicting early Islamic tragedies. Female presenters became scarce, smiles were banned on TV, and radio content rendered women nearly invisible. Yet, this state of affairs was unsustainable.

It wasn't until nearly a decade later that women began to reappear in news and children's programs. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a brief window for criticism opened in the morning program "Hello, Good Morning," but dissent was swiftly stifled as the regime grew intolerant.

Since 1979, Radio Iran has remained deeply ideological, adhering strictly to the government's official narrative, even in accounts of Islamic history. The station's disregard for public taste has alienated listeners, with many turning to foreign-based media for news. State broadcaster research acknowledges declining viewership for state TV but remains silent on the radio's fate.

Listeners are not to blame for Radio Iran's decline, as repetitive ideological propaganda fails to engage or inform. Recent TV programs have featured celebrities confessing to favoring old songs over state radio broadcasts. Despite this, podcasts have emerged as a vibrant alternative, offering diverse content free from censorship. One such podcast, "Radio Nist" ("It's Not Radio"), explores Iran's radio history, including an episode titled "Radio Ark," named after Tehran's Ark Square, home to Radio Iran's former studios.

The incident occurred on April 12 when a female fan attempted to avoid arrest for not wearing the hijab by running on the pitch and hugging Hosseini. A fine of three billion Iranian rials (roughly $4,500) was imposed on the player, along with a one-game suspension from the team. Ole, the Argentinian sports news website, called the incident a “scandal.”

Hosseini stated that he would pay the fine, asserting that "three billion rials for the sake of a female fan of Esteghlal is well worth it" which infuriated officials.

In response, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency launched a campaign demanding further actions against Hosseini, resulting in an additional 300 million rial ($7,000) fine on Monday.

It is not the first time the woman in question, Sahar Khodayari, has garnered international media attention. In September 2019, she set herself on fire after being sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to enter a stadium disguised as a male supporter during a match between Esteghlal and Al Ain.

Hoseeini's case has revived debate over women's access to stadiums in Iran, a contentious issue that has attracted international attention and criticism.

Although FIFA continues to push for women's inclusion in football stadiums, governmental opposition citing inadequate infrastructure continues to limit their presence, resulting in sporadic admissions under strict rules.

On death row, his fearless dissent has seen the young artist sentenced to death in Iran's continuing flurry of executions in the wake of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom, movement, sparked by the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini for the alleged improper wearing of her headscarf.

One of Salehi's most famous political songs, "Buy a Rat Hole" in 2021, long before the death of the young Kurdish woman, addresses the corruption of Iranian authorities and the impunity of their actions. "You are a murderer if you cover up murder. To cover up murder, you must step in blood," he sang, his words even more poignant after state security forces murdered more than 500 Iranians in the wake of September 2022's uprising.

According to political analysts such as Majid Mohammadi, Toomaj's songs represent “the sentiments of a generation of young Iranians who ardently and persistently seek the regime's downfall", sentiments which rock the regime as it faces the harshest opposition since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

He was first arrested in September 2021 when twelve intelligence ministry agents raided his home in Isfahan. Thousands of Iranians condemned his imprisonment on social media, and Amnesty International called for his immediate release in a statement released on September 17. Later that month, Salehi was released on bail.

During the height of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests on October 30, 2022, the intelligence ministry in Isfahan province violently arrested him again for his artistic activities in favor of the anti-government movement. While in custody, he was tortured severely and forced to make televised "confessions".

Toomaj was sentenced to 75 months in prison last July after the Iranian Supreme Court effectively ruled out the possibility of a death sentence. More than a year after being arrested, he was released on bail in November. Several days after his release, he fearlessly published a video message detailing the torture and mistreatment he had endured at the hands of regime intelligence agents. Almost immediately, he was re-arrested.

On Wednesday, an Iranian revolutionary court sentenced 33-year-old Salehi to death for charges linked to the 2022 nationwide protests, charges his lawyer claimed he was acquitted of earlier.

Salehi, dubbed the “world’s bravest rapper” by Western media, has a 20-day appeal period. His lawyer, Amir Raeisian, said they will challenge the ruling.

"I talked to Toomaj. He hopes to see the changes to this sentence in the legal process," Raeisian told Roydad24 in an interview on Thursday, adding that Salehi is “not worried.”

Salehi's case has touched the hearts of politicians around the world who have come out to condemn the death sentence amid soaring numbers of executions in Iran, over 800 last year alone.

Reacting to his sentence on Wednesday, US Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “This is just another example of the Iranian regime's horrific and pervasive human rights abuses. We once again condemn the Iranian regime's use of the death sentence as a tool to suppress people's human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Abram Paley, US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, also wrote on X “We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin. We call for their immediate release.”

“These are the latest examples of the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek,” the US official added.

German MEP Max Lucks, advocate of sanctioning Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the EU, said Toomaj’s execution would be a “declaration of war on the young progressive voices in Iran,” he wrote on X. “The death sentence against him [Toomaj] shows the mullahs' contempt for the people of Iran.”

French Senator Nathalie Goulet wrote on X in French: "Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death. We must demonstrate to save his life."

“What kind of government kills its own children?” She tweeted in Farsi.

Gohar Eshghi, whose son Sattar Beheshti, a blogger, was killed under torture in prison in 2012, called “Toomaj the son of all Iranians” and condemned the "brutal sentence" against him.

Hamed Esmaeilion, an opposition activist in Canada, also said they will take to the streets over the weekend to support Salehi.

Large crowds rallied in European cities such as Frankfurt and Milan, on Wednesday and Thursday to call on their governments to halt the execution.

Social media platforms including X, have been trending with the hashtag #FreeToomaj, calling for his release. Videos circulating online show posters of him on the walls and highways inside Iran.

Taraneh Alidoosti – best known for the Oscar-winning movie "The Salesman" - was arrested as part of the Woman Life Freedom movement sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who reportedly defied the hijab rule.

The news of her illness started when her mother during an Instagram Live on Sunday hinted that her daughter might have an “undiagnosed disease” which Iranian media reported as DRESS Syndrome.

Cinema Etemad, in an article that has since been removed from the website, defined the condition as "causing numerous symptoms such as fever, blood abnormalities and organ inflammation throughout the body” and is associated with “overreaction to certain medications.”

Security forces arrested Alidoosti in December 2022 at her home for posting a photo of herself without the mandatory veil on social media and criticizing the death penalty. A month later, she was released on bail.

On Wednesday, Zahra Minuei, Taraneh Alidoosti’s lawyer, confirmed the reports while emphasizing that Alidoosti did not wish the public to be aware of the disease.

“Taraneh Alidousti has been diagnosed with DRESS Syndrome since August 2023, which doctors said was caused by drug interaction,” Minuei wrote on X. “Mrs. Alidousti is currently making a partial recovery after a long treatment period,” she added.

However, that was not an isolated incident. Mostafa Al-Ahmad’s lawyer said on April 23 that the filmmaker “like other activists, has been suffering from some kind of autoimmune disease ever since he was released from prison.”

“Human rights activists are worried by the recurrence of these diseases,” Maryam Kianersi wrote on X.

In July 2022, Mostafa Al-Ahmad was arrested as part of a crackdown on the signatories of the "Lay down the gun" letter issued by over 100 members of the film industry in Iran.

The statement urged military and security forces not to suppress protesters as a wave of demonstrations spread across Iran after a 10-story building collapsed in Abadan, south of Iran, killing at least 40 people.

The cases of Alidoosti and Al-Ahmad in recent days have brought the issue of the illnesses and unexplained deaths of political prisoners into the spotlight once again. The authorities often attribute suspicious deaths or suicides in prisons and detention centers, or shortly after prisoners' release, to mental health or personal issues.

Taliban and Iranian officials have not yet commented about the guards, who claim they had entered the Afghan territory "by mistake." They were arrested in Farah province in southwestern Afghanistan. Thursday night, Iranian state media reported that they were freed.

The Iranian government and Taliban have been involved in several border disputes over the past months. Clashes at the border over water rights in May claimed the lives of at least two Iranians and one Taliban soldier.

The situation has recently been tense in Iran’s eastern borders as the insurgent Sunni Baluch group known as Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) intensified its operations against Iranian security forces. The group advocates for enhanced rights and improved living conditions for the Baluch ethnic minority.

Earlier in the month, six law enforcement officers were killed by Jaish al-Adl militants during an ambush on police vehicles along the Sib and Suran county route in Sistan-Baluchistan province. The week before, the group also launched simultaneous attacks against military posts in Chabahar and Rask, killing 16 police forces; the clashes also claimed the lives of 18 Jaish al-Adl militants.

Jaish al-Adl has also been a source of tension between Iran and its nuclear neighbor, Pakistan, for years. In January, the IRGC attacked positions in Pakistan in what it called an attempt to target terrorists. Pakistan retaliated by attacking locations in southeastern Iran.