The Stream

#StreamUpdate: Reconnecting with undercovered stories

Armenian #ElectricYerevan protests and Iranian #MenInHijab test authority. Will they make a difference?

#ElectricYerevan

A new eruption of anti-government sentiment in Armenia could threaten President Serzh Sargsyan’s political future. When an armed opposition group occupied a police station last month to demand the release of political prisoners and Sargsyan’s resignation, thousands of people rallied nightly in solidarity. The two-week standoff ended when the gunmen surrendered on Sunday, but the developments underscored the public anger with Sargsyan that has grown every year since fraud allegations marred his 2008 ascent to the presidency. The Armenian government faces frustration over issues including poverty, poor government services, cronyism, and its close ties with Russia. Armenians have now staged mass protests for four consecutive summers, including last year’s #ElectricYerevan movement against electricity rate hikes. We’ll get an update on the protests in Armenia and explore whether they have laid the foundation for a wider anti-government surge.

#MenInHijab

A viral social media campaign in Iran is challenging the government’s strict female dress code. State “morality police” subject women and girls to fines or imprisonment for failing to wear the hijab or cover their hair. In response, Iranian men are posting selfies of themselves wearing the hijab in solidarity with their wives, sisters, daughters and mothers. Exiled Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad created the #MenInHijab campaign as a followup to her #MyStealthyFreedom movement inviting women to pose without their hijab. Is this new campaign challenging the Iranian government and advancing women’s rights, or is it, as some critics allege, a stunt mocking people’s faith? We’ll speak with Alinejad and skeptics of her cause. 

On today’s episode, we speak with: 

#ElectricYerevan

Babken DerGrigorian @Babken
Political economist

Armine Ishkanian @Armish15
Assistant Professor, Social Policy, London School of Economics

#MenInHijab

Masih Alinejad @Masih_Alinejad
Journalist

Negar Mortazavi @NegarMortazavi
Journalist

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