Thirty-four women went on hunger strike in an Iranian prison to mark the second anniversary of protests against the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. Activists had already announced numerous demonstrations and the country had taken major security measures.
The prisoners want to commemorate the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and Amini’s assassination, the foundation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said on Sunday.
Demonstrations also outside Iran
Activists had previously announced numerous protests in memory of Amini. However, there were fears beforehand that the security forces would at least consistently prevent public protests. Demonstrations would also have to take place outside Iran.
Amini (22) died in police custody
In September 2022, Islamic moral watchdogs arrested the then 22-year-old Amini for wearing an ill-fitting headscarf. A few days later, on September 16, 2022, she died in police custody. Iranian authorities spoke of an illness. However, Amini’s parents and the majority of Iranians blamed the moral watchdogs and the administrative system for Amini’s death.
Largest wave of protests in Iranian history
Her tragic death sparked the most violent protests in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security forces. Thousands were arrested. Due to the leap year in the Islamic calendar, Iran is celebrating her death anniversary this Sunday.
Still no permission for a funeral service
Amini’s father had not yet received permission for a funeral service in her hometown of Saqqez on Saturday. “If those in power allow it, we will celebrate the second anniversary of Mahsa’s death,” Amjad Amini wrote on Instagram. But that’s not how it looked.
According to the Iranwire news portal, the highest alert level has been declared in Saqqez in the Kurdistan province. Locals assumed that the security forces deployed there would not allow any gatherings, even in the form of a funeral.
However, activists say the imposed security measures will not prevent the planned protests. “The ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement continues its path with determination and victory,” reads one of the activists’ numerous Instagram posts. The renowned activists also include Iran’s two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Shirin Ebadi and Narges Mohammadi, who are imprisoned in Tehran.
More and more Iranian women are ignoring the obligation to wear a headscarf
Since the protests, more and more Iranian women have ignored the obligation to wear the compulsory headscarf, especially in large cities. Regular – sometimes violent – checks by the morality police are still carried out, but without the success that the management had hoped for. The Islamic dress code is no longer strictly observed by women. Long coats and robes were meant to cover the ‘provocative female body contours’. Since the protests, however, this has become less and less the case.
Source: Krone
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