An Iranian woman was killed for improperly wearing her hijab, which sparked an uprising amongst the people.
In Tehran, Iran, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was brutally beaten by the morality police for “allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely” in public. She fell into a coma and eventually died on Sept. 16.
The Iranian media has claimed that Amini died from heart failure, but according to Times News, her family and many protestors accused the Iranian government of making false claims about her death.
The issue first started on Sept. 13 when Amini went to visit family with her brother in Tehran. After arriving, she was arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly. Then she was put into the back of a van, where police beat her. After her death, medical practitioners refused to let the father see her. When he asked to see the footage from the body cams, he was denied that request too.
“I asked them to show me the body-cameras of the security officers, they told me the cameras were out of battery,” said Mr. Amini, according to BBC News. Her father also said that she was supposed to attend college soon, with the goal of becoming a doctor.
After Amini’s arrest, assault and death, women in different parts of the world are taking a stand against the Islamic Republic and showing their solidarity for Amini.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliff, a British-Iranian national, is showing her support for Amini by cutting her hair. Long hair in the Islamic Republic represents beauty and it is frowned upon for women to cut their hair. Many women across the nation have joined Zaghari-Ratcliff in chopping off their hair to show their defiance towards the Islamic rules.
In a video from The Guardian, Zaghari-Ratcliff said, “ … for my mother, for my daughter Gisa, for fear of solitary confinement, for fears that are greater than truth, for the women of my land, for freedom, for justice.”
Zaghari-Ratcliff’s demonstration showed that the Iranian government doesn’t own women like her and that she is willing to defy the rules of the regime.
Many other voices now shout “death to the dictator” towards the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, many protestors have been struck with ammunition and others by tear gas. The death toll is now 76 lives.
According to CBS News, Iranian officials stated that 1,200 protestors have been arrested since the protests began, including lawyers, journalists, demonstrators and activists.
However, as the rise of pro-regime protests take place, anti-government protestors are starting to feel the push back. Pro-government allies have stopped internet access to prevent people from sharing information about what is going on, yet protestors are displaying pictures of powerful images and words as they continue to fight against the oppressive regime.
The words on the images say, “Iran, the internet is down and they are killing the people.” Even without the help of the internet, protesters were still able to relay their message to others.
Iran doesn’t stand alone. People from Atlanta to Istanbul, Paris and London continue to help raise awareness about the regime.
Men and women alike are continuing their stand together as they fight for Iran to be liberated from the government’s dictatorial ways.