When a wave of protests broke out across Iran in September 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her headscarf incorrectly, Leyla* was a teenager. She had bravely joined in and waved her scarf above her head in protest in front of security forces in Tehran and was later shot in the leg with pellets.
Almost two years on, Iran has elected a new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The former heart surgeon and health minister, who has been labelled a reformist by media and political analysts, is reported to have said the brutal nature of the hijab crackdown jeopardised human dignity. But many Iranians the Guardian spoke to remain sceptical that anything will change.
