People have been protesting against the government in Iran following a girl’s sudden death in police custody after being arrested for not following Iran’s dress code properly.
Almost two weeks ago, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl who was arrested by the so-called morality police, shortly fell into a coma and died.
Since her death, people have been protesting all over Iran, and the country’s government has been suppressing their people massively through the use of tear gas and live ammunition on the streets as well as shutting down the country’s internet to stop the spread of the news.
According to Iran’s laws, women should follow a specific dress code, Hijab, in public. If they violate the law, the so-called morality police will arrest and take them into custody to educate them on how they should wear Hijab properly. This process is usually accompanied with force, as most people do not agree with the law and attempt to resist.
The amenity’s camera recording shows that while in custody, Amini suddenly lost control and fell to the floor. After being taken to the hospital and spending three days in a coma, she passed away. Denying having inflicted any sort of harm to her, the police claim that Amini had suffered a sudden heart attack which resulted in her death.
However, according to her parents, the 22-year-old did not have any sort of history with heart disease that would’ve led to a heart attack.
The government recently stated that it would take three weeks for the forensic reports of her death to be reported. However, people believe that the reason behind Mahsa’s death was the police’s aggressive behavior. Though, no videos or reports have confirmed the cause of her death, according to a witness, during a struggle with the police, Mahsa had been beaten in the head with a baton. This would eventually lead to her falling into a coma the same day.
Since then, people have been rising up in Iran, and saying “Women, life and freedom.” They have been protesting against the government over women’s rights in different matters, especially their right to choose the way they dress.
What happened with Amini was not a political or religious incident. It is why people unified and the protests spread so quickly, not only in Iran, but in many big cities around the world. It has even been supported by a significant number of famous celebrities including Hollywood stars.
On the other hand, the Islamic Republic’s governmental forces have been acting suppressive as always, by opening fire on protestors, blocking social media and shutting down the internet in order to prevent the spread of the news. Iran’s government has always been known to censor and enact severe restrictions on the internet usage of its own people by blocking popular social media apps and websites. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were among the very first apps that have been blocked in the country for several years.
Following a massive protest due to the country’s economic situation, the government blocked access to some more popular social media apps. Since then, people have had to use VPN services to be able to access those apps. Now, following the recent protest, the government has restricted access to WhatsApp and Instagram which were among the only remaining platforms used widely by the people. Even search engines such as Google and Bing were restricted for a few days.
At the same time, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeesi was staging the UN General Assembly and gave a speech about human rights. His toting of human rights was widely criticized by Iranians, who believed restricting the media was an obvious violation of theirs.
The protest is still widely going on in Iran and men are standing by women’s side to fight for their rights while people are being arrested and sometimes killed on the streets. The movement has also been widely supported by athletes, actors and other celebrities. However, those who supported the movement are being censored from the national media and arrested by the police one after another.
At this time, the people, and especially the women, in Iran need your help and support. By sharing content with the hashtag #MahsaAmini on the social media you can express your support and defend Iranian women’s rights, helping their voice to be heard.
#MahsaAmini
#Women_life_freedom
- UI Iranian Students Club
About the author:
The Iranian Students Club at the university is a cultural club founded:
1) To promote multi-culturalism and the public awareness of the UI and Palouse community about the historical, cultural aspects and tourist attractions of Iran.
2) To sponsor Iranian cultural events such as Mehregan, Yalda and Nowrouz celebrations as well as others that represent the Persian culture.
3) To make a better connection among members of UI Iranian community with American and other international students at the school and local community levels.
4) To promote the Iranian students’ involvement in social activities on campus.
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