2003-11 Emmiria protests
| 2003-2011 Emmiria protests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Emmirians protesting in Rahdahi Square in the capital Rhaga | |||
| Date | 13 June 2003 – 7 December 2011 | ||
| Caused by | Social change, emphasis on women's rights | ||
| Methods | Demonstrations, civil disobedience, strike actions | ||
| Resulted in | Election of Khayahad al-Azari Expanded social liberties Women gained the right to vote | ||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| 36 killed (Emmirian Government figure) 72 killed (Opposition figure) 4,000 arrests | |||
The 2003-11 Emmiria protests were a series of student-led social demonstrations against the strict conservative Islamic policies of the Emmirian government, particularly under the administrations of presidents Raaid al-Taheri, Abolhassan Neeshaan, Ali al-Jabara. Major demands of the movements were for the abolishment of government-endorsed hudud punishments, expanded rights for women, religious freedoms, and the end of compulsory hijab wearing. The protests began in 2003 after President al-Taheri expanded a constitutional ban on women's right to vote. Initially organized by three students at the University of Rhaga - Ahmad Roshban, Hatma Nouri, and Fauduma Arad - the demonstrations attracted more than 8 million protestors across Emmiria at their height in 2006, largely in heavily populated areas like Rhaga, Kuye, and Hazarabad. The demonstrations lasted in varying degrees of severity, with the largest protests occuring in July 2003, June 2006, August 2007, and November 2010, and largely subsided in 2011 with the election of Khayahad al-Azari, who had run on a platform of liberalization and reform. In 2013, the Parliament allowed women to drive and vote, and allowed for increased freedom of religion.