Ex-President Raisi Banned Women From Executive Roles, Says Iran's VP

Iran's vice president for women and family affairs has revealed that late President Ebrahim Raisi had banned women from holding executive positions.

The remarks come as Ensieh Khazali herself has reached the position of vice president.

She said “executive forces and organizations are tasked with implementing their [women’s] plans under the guidance of women as operational headquarters, with women themselves serving as command and planning centers focusing on initiatives for women and families".

Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation, including foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, died during a helicopter crash last month, triggering a snap presidential election to be held on Friday with four men running for the office.

Under Raisi, brutal crackdowns on protesters saw over 550 Iranians killed by state security forces and thousands more rounded up and imprisoned since September 2022.

It was also under his watch that hijab enforcement was strengthened after the death in morality policy custody of Mahsa Amini. Her murder led to the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.

Last year, Raisi told the UN that Iranian women's rights were 'unparalleled' in spite of a policy the UN had the same month ,called "gender apartheid".

The Guardian Council, an unelected 12-member body that vets candidates, prohibits women from running for president in Iran despite some constitutional interpretations suggesting otherwise.

According to the Global Economic Forum's 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, Iran ranks 143rd out of 146 countries regarding gender equality.

Additionally, the Women’s Workplace Equality Index, published by the Council on Foreign Relations, places Iran among the bottom five countries regarding women’s workforce equality, alongside Sudan, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen.