It is difficult to explain why the events in Iran, where there is a large protest movement that has claimed an unspecified number of victims and detainees, receive so little professional journalistic coverage. There are hundreds of images circulating of youth, boys and girls joining the campaign against the law requiring the wearing of the hijab and capturing them removing the turbans of mullahs they meet on the street, or hundreds of them Images of women of all ages photographed removing their veils, cutting their hair or publicly and with great courage expressing their refusal to submit to the “modesty laws” approved by the regime. But there are very few reports from journalists from around the world, special envoys who can make their own statements about everyday events.
Professional investigations into the number and fate of those arrested are necessary because there is not even an accurate and reliable count of the number of victims, dead and injured that have occurred so far in the demonstrations. (The circulating data – 300 deaths and between 14,000 and 18,000 incarcerated – are the product of private and approximate censuses by NGOs with contacts within the country). Little is known about the women (lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders) who may have been arrested as a “preventive” measure and taken to unknown locations without public notice: a list of 18 names has been circulated, but another is believed to be forthcoming with 50 more women prepared. Among those arrested is photographer Yalda Moaiery, whose photos accompanied work by former EL PAÍS correspondent Ángeles Espinosa and were published in the same newspaper.
Maintaining permanent correspondents in Iran has always been difficult for the major international media, but in recent years even obtaining short-stay entry visas has become an almost impossible goal. And that should be one of the international community’s first demands on the Tehran regime: allow professional, accredited journalists to do their work freely. This demand should be at the forefront of any talks with the regime, including those pertaining to agreements to ease sanctions imposed on them for their nuclear energy policies.
It is unacceptable that well into the 21st century, civil conflicts of such magnitude as that in Iran receive less attention than the vast majority of conflicts of the 20th century. As much as Iranian citizens try to make up for this deficiency by using intense pressure to post their own pictures on the networks, the lack of professional reporting acts as a veritable wall, and experience shows that there are no greater horrors than those that take place without the testimony of journalists and photographers.
If you want to support the development of quality journalism, subscribe.
Subscribe to
Unfortunately, the specialized media are unable to explain to the public the danger of a country’s authorities ordering the closure of their territory under the gaze of special envoys from other parts of the world. The scintillating audacity of young people uploading photos to TikTok or Instagram, admirable as it is, is no substitute for that other job.
The Iranian women’s protest, now supported by a multitude of men, especially young men, has ancient roots that need not be forgotten. Since before the passage of the law making the wearing of hijab compulsory (1983), hundreds of women claimed their right to choose whether or not to wear the veil. In 2017, thousands of women took part in the economic protests and took the opportunity to once again question the veil law. Her campaign became known as the Girls of Enghelab Street and even as the national protest began to subside her particular struggle lived on and in early 2018 the #WhiteWednesdays campaign took to social media for it, shared by thousands every Wednesday women their black hijab against white gauze. Now they are taking to the streets to claim their right to choose how they dress. And it’s important to tell her struggle, an example for Muslim women around the world.
Sign up for the weekly Ideas Newsletter here.
Subscribe to continue reading
read limitless