Iran’s mullahs using women in suppression of protests

Noura Bendari

The Iranian regime suppresses the street protests, which erupted in November 2019 because of the rise in fuel prices, by all means.

It does not shy away from talking publicly of its suppression of the protests.

The Commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, said on December 19 that his troops would be deployed in all Iranian cities.

He added that the troops would be deployed in all districts. Soleimani noted that his militia would be subject to upgrade in the coming period in order to increase its efficiency.

Basij women soldiers

The paramilitary force has increased the number of units made up of women with the aim of tightening control on all members of the Iranian society. The increase in the number of women soldier units was made at the orders of Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

This is not the first time Iran’s mullahs use women in suppressing street protests. The first women militia was established in Iran, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This militia was established ostensibly with the aim of defending the revolution. It was made up of 147 women soldiers. The militia now has 4 million women soldiers, whereas the total number of Basij troops is 10 million.

The women soldiers played an important role in the suppression of the street protests in 2009. They played an equally important role in the parliamentary elections of 2015, especially in countering potential protests. They also suppressed the protests that erupted in December 2017 and November 2019.

Growing suppression

Iranian affairs specialist, Osama al-Hatimi, said the latest confessions of the Basij commander show that the protests that erupted because of the rise in fuel prices were not either limited or easy to get rid of.

“The number of government suppression victims shows that the protests happened everywhere in Iran,” al-Hatimi told The Reference.

He added that the decision of the Iranian regime to upgrade the women units of the Basij came after women participated in the protests in large numbers.

“This decision also shows that the Iranian regime wants to get rid of these protests by any manner,” al-Hatimi said.