Protests are taking over Iran’s streets, and they all have one name on their minds: Mahsa Amini. Since her death, there has been an uproar. Many women have taken to the streets to burn their hijabs or cut their hair, to fight against the unjust hijab law. The stark contrast in how women in the 70’s lived in Iran versus today shows how backward the progress is.
Before the Iranian revolution, the world was a lot brighter for Iranian women. In 1979, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini decreed that all women had to wear the veil, regardless of religion or nationality. Women protested then, women are protesting now, just to stay alive.
Mahsa was a 22 year old from Saqqez – part of the Iranian-Kurdistanian Provence – who was detained at the metro station by the Morality Police. She was then taken to a detention center on the 13th of September 2022. According to witnesses and her family, she was beaten and later taken to the hospital where she died after being comatose for 3 days. Iranian security forces are claiming that Amini died due to a heart attack, but her family states that this is untrue.
The demurral the hijab policy is facing now has never been more prevalent. Women and men have taken to the streets, burning their hijabs, cutting their hair and chanting “Death to the dictator”, to express the fury they have held back after all the years of oppression. This has become the biggest protest for women rights in Iran till date!
In retaliation, the police have killed several who took part in these protests. The internet access has been cut off too. The clear human rights breach here has enraged people across the world.
You can help by showing support for Iranian women currently fighting for their basic rights in life is important, and by donating to the NCRI women’s committee.
