Iran's President Raisi does not appear for an interview in New York City - because a journalist does not wear a headscarf

Created: 09/24/2022, 06:24

By: Bettina Menzel

Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran, addresses the United Nations in New York.

© Mary Altaffer/AP/dpa

It would have been an important moment for Iranian President Raisi to comment on the protests in the country.

But he canceled an interview because the journalist refused to wear a headscarf in New York.

New York City - The case of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini triggered the worst unrest in Iran in years.

Women burned their hijabs in protest, and scores of civilians have already died.

CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour wanted to meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday and also ask him about these incidents in the country.

But his chair remained empty and the interview failed - because of a headscarf.

Iran's president tells journalists to wear headscarves in New York

It would have been President Raisi's first interview on US soil.

The Iranian head of state traveled to the United States for the first time on Wednesday for his speech to the UN General Assembly and had already agreed to talks with CNN's chief correspondent in New York City.

But things turned out differently: “After weeks of planning and eight hours of setting up the translation equipment, lights and cameras, we were ready.

But no sign of President Raisi,” wrote journalist Christiane Amanpour on Twitter on Thursday.

A consultant came to Amanpour 40 minutes after the planned start of the conversation.

"The President, he said, suggested that I wear a headscarf," the British-Iranian journalist continued.

"I politely declined.

We are in New York, where there are no laws or traditions regarding headscarves.

I pointed out that no previous Iranian president has requested this when I have interviewed him outside of Iran.”

The consultant made it clear that the interview would not take place without a headscarf.

It was a "question of respect," the CNN chief correspondent quoted the presidential adviser as saying.

She refused the request, so the interview did not take place.

"Since the protests in Iran are continuing and people are being killed, it would have been an important moment to speak to President Raisi," emphasized Amanpour, who grew up partly in Iran and had to flee with her family in the late 1970s because of the Islamic revolution .

Protests in Iran 'maybe the beginning of a big change'

Videos on the online networks show how protesters in Iran take off their headscarves and burn them or cut their hair in front of a cheering crowd, as also reported by

from

.

According to Iranian officials, 17 people were killed in the protests.

Human rights organizations such as the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) spoke of at least 31 dead civilians on Thursday.

The protests were triggered by the death of the young woman Mahsa Amini about a week ago, who was apparently arrested because of an ill-fitting headscarf.

She collapsed at the police station under circumstances that are still unclear and was pronounced dead at the hospital three days later.

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On Thursday, on the sidelines of the UN general debate in front of journalists in New York, the Iranian President referred to the official autopsy result, but confirmed that investigations would be started.

He personally assured Amini's family of this.

IHR director Mahmud Amiri Moghaddam told AFP the protests could "perhaps be the beginning of a big change" in Iran.

"We have been following the human rights situation and the demonstrations in Iran for 15 years and I have never seen people so angry," the human rights activist continued