Protestors holding a photo of Mahsa Amini
On September 13th, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran’s morality police – law enforcement force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose task is to detain people who violate Iran’s conservative dress code. Ms. Amini was arrested for violating the dress code and reportedly badly injured when taken into custody and died in the hospital on September 16th. Authorities deny beating Amini and insisted in a statement that the cause of her death was sudden heart failure. Since the death of Ms. Amini, thousands have taken the streets in Iran to demand accountability for Amini’s death. The protests against the morality police have evolved into the most serious challenge the country has faced in years since the fuel price protest in 2019 in which 1,500 people were killed. Demonstrations have led to violent police crackdowns and internet outages and disruptions to cut the protestor's communication with the outside world. The protests have resulted in more than 70 deaths and dozens of injuries of both police and citizens. Women in Iran have begun to remove their hijab and cut off their hair in solidarity of Amini – demanding the shutdown of the morality police. 13 days into the protests and it is reported that security forces have responded with live ammunition, pellet guns and teargas to deter citizens from protesting. However, that has not stopped citizens from retaliating.
Iranian state media have responded to the ongoing violent protests that have taken over the country. Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi stated that he had ordered an investigation into the case of Amini but “ acts of chaos ” are not acceptable, and are warning protestors who have taken to the streets that their actions will have consequences. Iranian Foregin Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has sent a message to the western world and states “ There is not going to be a regime change in Iran. Don’t play to the emotions of the
Iranian people”. He also insists that the protests would not destabilize the country and urges that there is not a big deal going on in Iran.
There have also been demonstrations outside Iran in solidarity with a number of international celebrities also expressing their anger on social media. There have been global protests planned – from Toronto to New York City – to show international condemnation and support for women in Iran. Amini’s death has
drawm widespread attention with thousands of women and men all over the world taking the street, holding posters with Amini’s photo and urging the freedom of women in Iran from the resistance of the country’s theocracy.
Broder frustrations – from the economy to the alienation between Iran’s government and many younger citizens – have kept the demonstrations going. As of right now, the death toll and injuries continues to rise, with police and protestors continuing to clash. Edbadi, who fled the country in 2009 during a crackdown says “ Unlike previous protests, people aren’t passive. When they are beaten by the security forces, they respond by beating forces as well “. Mahsa Amini’s death has sparked an international uproar on the treatment of women in Iran when in the hands of authority and violation of basic human rights.
Works Cited
Al-Khatahtbeh, Amani. “Mahsa Amini Was Arrested for 'Bad Hijab.' but the Only 'Bad Hijab' Is a Forced One.” ELLE, ELLE, 30 Sept. 2022,
https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a41429102/mahsa-amini-iran-death-hijab-protests/.
“Mahsa Amini: Acting UN Human Rights Chief Urges Impartial Probe into Death in Iran.” OHCHR, 20 Sept. 2022,
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/09/mahsa-amini-acting-un-human-rights-chief-urges impartial-probe-death-iran.
“UN Experts Strongly Condemn Death of Mahsa Amini, 'Victim of Iran's Sustained Repression' | | 1UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127471.
University, Stanford. “Understanding Protests in Iran.” Stanford News, 27 Sept. 2022, https://news.stanford.edu/2022/09/26/understanding-protests-iran/.
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