| Uniformed police cooperated with baton-wielding thugs who attacked women commemorating International Women’s Day in Tehran on 8 March, Reuters reported. The authorities had withdrawn permission for the women’s rally to take place, according to Reuters. A Tehran police official named Turani said on 7 March that he had no information from the Interior Ministry about permission for such an event, Fars News Agency reported. Meanwhile, President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami in a 7 March speech called for an end to negative views about a woman’s societal role, IRNA reported. He criticized narrow-mindedness and said, "Unfortunately our society has suffered great losses due to incorrect understanding of women’s ability and adoption of wrong policy to deal with women." Khatami added that there are other problems facing Iranian women, such as policy-making, economics, and family affairs. |