Mahsa Amini [2000-2022]

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Twenty-two-year old Mahsa Amini, a young Generation Z Kurdish Iranian woman, died on Friday, September 16, 2022 in Iran, at the hands of the Morality Police, after having been allegedly beaten, in the patrol van, after her arrest, on Sept 13, 2022. She was arrested in her brother’s car, because she was improperly wearing her “hijab” (i.e.; her scarf was not fully covering her hair). She was on her way to visit family members. The police claim she died of a heart attack. United Nations (UN) Human Rights experts state:

“She is another victim of Iran’s sustained repression and systematic discrimination against women and the imposition of discriminatory dress codes that deprive women of bodily autonomy and the freedoms of opinion, expression and belief”. [Staff, UN Human Rights]

Her death has enflamed Iran, where women are cutting their hair and burning hijabs in protest, in at least 40 cities. Indeed, her death has sparked outrage worldwide (Engelbrecht & Fassihi, 2021, NYTimes). Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iranian women have been subjected to strict dress codes, including mandatory use of the hijab (head scarf). Since the election, in June 2021, of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, an Islamist hardline jurist, the Morality Police has been given free rein to enforce all the provisions of Islamic law. (Mackintosh, E. , 2022, CNN).

UN Human Rights experts have called for an independent investigation into the circumstances of Mahsa’s death, who has become a symbol of the current regime’s brutality towards women. UN Human Rights experts further state:

“We strongly condemn the use of physical violence against women and the denial of fundamental human dignity when enforcing compulsory hijab policies ordained by State authorities.” [Staff, UN Human Rights]

Below, the photo of Mahsa Amini released by her family, upheld by women brandishing their scarves in defiance of Islamic Law in Iran, at the peril of their own lives. [For more images see Staff, Le Monde.]

References

Engelbrecht, C. & F. Fassihi (September 21, 2022). Protests Intensify in Iran Over Woman Who Died in Custody. NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/21/world/middleeast/iran-protests-mahsa-amini.html

Lemaignen, J. (Sept. 22, 2022).  Following Mahsa Amini's death in Iran, 'women are at the forefront of the protests. Le Monde.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/09/22/iran-following-mahsa-amini-s-death-women-are-at-the-forefront-of-the-protest-movement_5997847_4.html

Mackintosh, E. (Sept. 22, 2022). Iran’s President abandons CNN interview after Amanpour declines head scarf demand. CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/22/middleeast/iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-christiane-amanpour-intl/index.html

Staff (Sept. 25, 2022). In pictures: The uprising of Iranian women across the world. Le Monde.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/09/25/in-pictures-the-uprising-of-iranian-women-across-the-world_5998176_4.html

Staff (September 2022). UN human rights experts strongly condemn the death of Mahsa Amini, ‘victim of Iran’s sustained repression’. UN News.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127471