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Two years after Mahsa Amini: the struggle for women’s rights in Iran 

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When Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died in the custody of Iran's morality police in September 2022, it ignited an uncommon wave of resistance. Today, two years later, her name remains a rallying cry for women’s rights and broader freedoms in Iran. The slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" continues to echo through protests at a global level, symbolising the resilience and courage of Iranian women. 

 

Who was she? Amini was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab in “improper ways”. This is not an isolated event by any means as Iran continues it’s oppressive enforcement of the hijab laws. She died unexpectedly at the hands of the morality police, her death triggering a series of protests across Iran. According to other women detained, she was “severely beaten” in the patrol van for resisting the arrest, before being escorted to the detention centre.  

Her sudden and still unclear death sparked this wave of new protests, where women cut their hair and burned their headscarves as a sign of defiance. The rapid growth and escalation of these once local protests turned global seemingly started to bring about a new era, where women were slowly regaining their rights. As the protests grew, it seemed as though the Gasht-e Ershad (morality police) had vanished, but slowly they came back, stronger and more oppressive. 

The fight grew past geographical borders, symbolising the fight for human rights and the end to a systematic oppression. Mahsa Amini stands to represent the reality of repression in society, and like the many other women who have felt shut down, marginalised, looked down upon by society, there is a need for change.  

 

These protests are now the greatest unrest within Iran since the 1979 revolution.  

 

While the protests drew global attention, they were met with brutal government crackdowns. Security forces killed hundreds, arrested thousands, and detained many of the activists. Unyieldingly, the protests evolved into quieter yet equally potent battlles, from women defying hijab mandates, to international advocacy for their rights.  

Truly, women’s suffrage and oppression has been under global spotlight more and more recently, but the truth is that they have long been fighting for a voice. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, when the veil became compulsory, women have been fighting back. As a whole, the system at which they live in devalues them in a variety of aspects, including education, employment, even their statements in court are taken with less weight.  

This fight is long from over, the continuous defiance for women’s basic rights is continuously growing on the streets of Iran, at the expense of those who choose to stand up against injustices.  

 

Iranian women’s defiance, even in the face of extreme repression, is a testament to their resilience. While systemic change may not happen overnight, the movement sparked by Mahsa Amini continues to grow. It serves as a reminder that the fight for women's rights is not just a local issue but a universal one. 

Mahsa’s name will forever be a symbol of courage and hope, a call to action for a future where “Women, Life, Freedom” is not just a slogan but a reality. 

 

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