A short video of a confrontation between an armed suspect and a group of police officers taken on August 18 in the Iranian city of Isfahan went viral. Iranians are angry at the police's “inability to fight real crime" while targeting peaceful protesters and women over their refusal to wear the hijab, according to our Observers in Iran.
A nearly 2-minute video from a surveillance camera shows the deadly incident which took place on August 18 in Isfahan, central Iran. “Our officers were sent to the area after a shooting was reported to the police in which a man had been killed. They found the criminal and pursued him, but unfortunately he shot at two of our officers," said the local police spokesperson.
One of the police officers and the gunman died at the scene. The second officer succumbed to his injuries a day later.
The first officer was killed just seconds after he arrived at the scene on his motorbike, according to the video released by the Iranian media. The gunman shoots at the officer, who falls over. The officers behind him are armed with AK-47s, the automatic firearm typically used by Iranian police. They step back.
The second officer and some others who heard the shots run to the scene. The gunman hides behind a car and the second officer tries to cut him off from behind. The second officer reaches for the gunman and they both shoot at each other at the same time. The gunman dies, while the second officer is fatally injured.
The police and conservative media close to the state published the video with a religious song and spoke of the “courage” of the dead policemen. However, many Iranians on social media, including military bloggers, see this video as a sign and symbol of the Iranian police's inadequate training and lack of knowledge in fighting crime. They believe the main task of the Iranian police is now to pursue and arrest women who are not wearing hijabs, veils which cover the hair, on the streets.
Since Iran’s police force created the Gasht-e-Ershad unit – known as the "morality police" – in 2007, the enforcement of Sharia law, especially for women, has become a priority for Iran's police, who are controlled by Tehran’s top authorities.
‘The police’s job in Iran is protecting the regime, not the people’
Sonia (not her real name) lives in Isfahan. She has been arrested by the police before due to noncompliance with mandatory veiling laws.
When talking about the police and the security forces in Iran in general, one should not forget that their structure, their “raison d'être”, their training, their priority is not to protect people, or to keep citizens safe.
They exist to keep the mullahs [Editor’s note: Islamic religious authorities] in power and protect the “status quo”. In this respect, the police in Iran violently repress anyone who criticises the regime, no matter how peaceful they may be.
The way they are wired, they are only capable of beating up or arresting innocent people, mostly women who do not follow Sharia law, and massacring pacifist demonstrators.
‘They are not trained, they have no equipment to fight crime, they are only capable of confronting peaceful and innocent people’
That is why they die so ridiculously when they face real criminals. They are not meant for it, they are not trained, they have no equipment to fight crime, they are only capable of confronting peaceful and innocent people with their Kalashnikovs and shotguns.
In all these years, the crime rate has not stopped rising, but the police patrol the streets and shopping malls to harass women without hijabs or young people just having fun.
Read moreViolent carjackings increase amid poverty and unemployment in Iran
After 100 years, we have bandits again not only on the roads between cities but also on the inner-city highways. No one dares to walk the streets with a mobile phone in their hand anymore. Muggings on the street or car thefts are the order of the day.
Iran’s infamous morality police are notorious for shooting innocent people, torture, beatings and murders. Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested by the morality police last September for reportedly wearing her hijab incorrectly. She died in custody after being beaten by police officers.
Her death sparked huge protests against the Islamic Republic's regime, with demonstrators rallying under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”. More than 500 protesters were killed during these protests, according to human rights organisations.
