[34] VEILS OF VIOLENCE: THE TORTURE OF WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHAH’S REGIME AND ANTI-HIJAB PROTESTERS IN POST-REVOLUTIONARY IRAN: How to Cite the Article: Yamin Mohammad Munshi (2026). Veils of Violence: The Torture of Women Associated with the Shah’s Regime and Anti-Hijab Protesters in Post-Revolutionary Iran. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(5),411-428. https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i5.2026.411-428

Yamin Mohammad Munshi

Authors

Yamin Mohammad Munshi Independent Researcher, M.A. in History, Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. University Of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Abstract

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the regime under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini unleashed a brutal campaign against individuals associated with the previous Pahlavi monarchy. Among the most severely persecuted were women who had served under the Shah—particularly those in bureaucratic, military, or cultural institutions—and those who opposed the imposition of compulsory hijab laws. This paper investigates the systematic torture these women endured at the hands of the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary forces, prisons, and security apparatuses. Drawing on testimonies, archival materials, and human rights documentation from 1979 to the late 1980s, the study uncovers a regime that targeted not only political dissent but also the very embodiment of modernity and female
autonomy. Many women faced physical torture, psychological torment, sexual violence, and executions in prisons such as Evin and Gohardasht. The paper contends that this gendered repression was central to the Islamic Republic's efforts to consolidate power and enforce its ideological order. The findings underscore the need for historical accountability and offer a gender-focused lens on state violence in revolutionary Iran.