By: Nadine Dermoune
In 1979, the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown after the Islamic Revolution. This led to new laws, including the hijab mandate for all women. The law was passed by Ruhollah Khomeini, and has since been used as a justification for violence against women by the police force. In fact, many believe that this violence was the cause of Mahsa Amini’s death.
On September 16th, Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish woman, died in custody after being detained by the Iranian ‘morality police’. Amini was taken into custody due to accusations of noncompliance with Iran’s rules regarding the Hijab. Three days after Mahsa Amini was detained, her death was reported, causing uproar and igniting protests worldwide.
As aforementioned, Mahsa’s death has sparked a global protest movement for the rights of Iranian women; on September 28th, Iranian TV implied that approximately 41 protesters and police officers have been killed as a result of the demonstrations. However, the Iran Human Rights Group suggests that there have been 76 deaths. In addition, there have also been numerous arrests in Iran. The most notable are Elaheh Mohammedi, an Iranian journalist who reported on Mahsa’s funeral, Hossein Mahini, an Iranian footballer, and Bayan Azizi, a women’s rights activist.
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