With the arrival of September, a movement has started in Iran, especially on the women's front. Women are preparing for protests across the country on September 16, the date of Jîna Emînî's murder. In Iran, which witnessed a historical resistance led by women in 2022 and beyond, the history of opposition to the Islamic regime dates back to ancient times. In fact, women took part in various protests either against the headscarf or for the right to vote and be elected.  

 

The 1979 Islamic Revolution led to changes in the lives of women in Iran. New decisions were taken on how women should dress and cover themselves. In the 1930s, the former Shah had banned the veil and ordered the police to force women to remove their headscarves. In 1979, shortly after coming to power, Iran's new leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, decided that all women, regardless of religion or nationality, must wear the headscarf. 

 

With this decision, the first demonstration after the Iranian revolution was the March 8 International Women's Day rally in Tehran in February 1979, the month after the Islamic revolution triumphed.  

 

On March 8, 1979, over a hundred thousand Iranian women took to the streets in Tehran to protest Khomeini's “headscarf law”. The protests continued for days. During the protests that started in March, women were living their last days on the streets without headscarves. But the character of these protests became a beacon for women in Iranian history. Since those days, Iranian women have been resisting the Islamic regime, which they define as the “Mullah regime”, for their rights as human beings and women. The regime responded harshly to this resistance, resulting in countless rights violations.  

 

The last women-led uprising in the country started right after the assassination of Jîna Emînî, and this resistance was a harbinger of radical changes. Iran was sending messages that “nothing will ever be the same again”.  

 

JÎNA MURDERED  

 

Jîna Emînî, who had come to Tehran from Seqiz to visit her relatives, was detained by the Gasht e Irshad (morality police) on September 13, 2022 for “not following the rules of hijab”. 3 days later, on September 16, it was reported that she died. The police station stated that Emînî suddenly fell to the ground on September 14 and died of a “brain hemorrhage” after being in a coma for 3 days. Emînî's family wanted to go to the hospital after being informed that their daughter had been admitted to intensive care. In this way, journalists also heard about what happened to her. Journalist Niloofar Hamedi secretly entered the hospital and took a photograph of Emînî being tortured. This photograph and subsequent reports revealed that the young woman had been tortured.   

 

'JIN, JIYAN, AZADI' SLOGAN  

 

Thousands of people attended Emînî's funeral and during the burial, women ignited a movement that will transcend geographical borders. At Emînî's funeral, a very strong message was given that defended freedom, will and struggle against patriarchy, racism and fascism and turned it into a women's movement: Jin, jiyan, azadî (Woman, life, freedom).  

 

The women's action organized around the slogan “Jin, jiyan, azadî” raised at the cemetery spread to 31 provinces and more than 100 cities in 2 days. Thousands of people took to the streets with the slogan “Jin, jiyan, azadî” at the same time in Rojhilat, Sistan and Baluchistan, Kirman, Gilan and Tehran.  

 

COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS RESTRICTED  

 

This resistance, which will go down in Iranian history, spread across the country. Regime forces tried to suppress the resistance with violence. The regime restricted Whatsapp and Telegram in the country. The regime, which did not prevent the protests by restricting messaging and news gathering applications, also blocked virtual media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.   

 

The protests then spread to prisons. Political prisoners in Evin Prison set fire to the wards in support of the resistance. During the resistance in the prison, 4 prisoners burned to death. The regime wanted to suppress the resistance and exiled the prisoners. However, this time hunger strikes started in prisons.   

 

PROTESTS STARTED WITHOUT HEADSCARF  

 

As “Jin jiyan azadi” was embraced around the world, women athletes in Iran and other countries joined the resistance. Athletes have participated in sporting competitions without the headscarf, as it is compulsory for them to wear it. On October 17, Elnaz Rekabi, who represented Iran in the final leg of the Asian Rock Climbing Championships in Seoul, South Korea, removed her headscarf. Throughout the year, many woman athletes participated in competitions without headscarves. 

 

PRESSURE ON JOURNALISTS 

 

Iranian journalist Nazila Maroofian, who had interviewed Emînî's father, was first arrested on October 30, 2022 for her reporting. She was later released and arrested for the second time on July 9, 2023. Nazila Maroofian was released on August 13, 2023 after more than a month of detention. Maroofian was arrested and released for the third time on August 14. On August 30, the journalist was arrested for the fourth time without justification and finally released on bail on September 9, 2023. After her last release, Maroofian was forced to leave the country. 

 

More young women took part in the protests, making them targets. On November 30, a chemical attack on girls' schools in Qom began. While no perpetrators were found, at least 4 children lost their lives in the attacks. Following the detention of 5 girls dancing without headscarves in Tehran on March 18, thousands of women/girls started dancing on the streets without headscarves.  

 

RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND DEATHS  

 

In order to suppress the resistance led by women, the regime tried to prevent the struggle by resorting to many methods. According to the data of Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) for September and November 2022; 63 people lost their lives on September 21, 20 people on September 22, 104 people on September 30 and 29 people on November 16. According to the report published by IHRNGO on September 15, 2023; 551 protesters, including 68 children and 49 women, were killed in the protests. In addition, at least 22 protesters, including 4 children and 8 women, died suspiciously, with the claim of “suicide”. At least 110 people were executed and at least 60,000 people were arrested.  

 

Many people who participated in the protests are still on trial. Reza Resai, who was arrested for participating in the most recent protests, was executed on August 6. 

 

WOMEN'S EYES TARGETED 

 

As women led the protests, women and youth were the primary targets of law enforcement officers. According to the data, 9 percent of those killed in the protests were women, while 28 percent of those with eye injuries were women. Unable to remove the protesters from the streets, Iranian law enforcement officers used small metal pellets, or “birdshot” as they are popularly known, which are unlikely to kill from a distance but are likely to blind protesters. Since the 3rd month of the protests, many protesters have suffered eye injuries. In November 2022, according to several ophthalmologists, more than 500 people were admitted to hospital with eye injuries. According to IHR's report, 5 percent of the eye injuries were children, and at least 68 children lost their lives in the protests. In addition, there are 8 children, 4 girls and 4 boys, who lost their eyes completely. The report stated that as many women were targeted in the protests in their genital areas as those targeted in their eyes.  

 

RESISTANCE GREW AND EXECUTIONS INCREASED 

 

The regime forces, unable to remove the protesters from the streets through repression, violence and killing, started to execute people who had previously been sentenced to death in order to intimidate them, and sentenced those detained during the protests to death in quick and symbolic trials. According to IHR's report on executions in 2022, the number of executions increased by 75 percent compared to the previous year. The regime accelerated executions in the last 4 months of the year when the protests started. According to the report; At least 582 people were executed in 2022. According to the data; There were at least 834 executions detected in 2023. “In 2023, 8 protesters were executed, 6 of whom were arrested in connection with the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests and sentenced to death without a fair trial in grossly unfair trials,” the report stated.  

 

'I WILL BE ON THE STREET AGAIN' 

 

Shilan Hashemi is one of the women who took part in the “Jin, jiyan, azadi” protests. Shilan Hashemi, who resisted for freedom at the cost of her life, was shot targeting her eye. Hashemi, who lost one eye, “Even if I lose my other eye, I will be resisting on the streets on September 16th” she said.   

Hashemi stated that she was honored to take part in the women's resistance that marked the 21st century and said: “We have been living with all kinds of oppression for years and this event was the final point. When I learned that Emînî would be buried in Seqiz, I decided to go to the cemetery. When I went to the funeral, I was surprised to see tens of thousands of people there. Everything happened in an instant. After the burial, angry women started chanting slogans and marching. In the city center, security forces fired rubber bullets and gas at us. People responded with stones. Then the protests spread to other cities and other states.”   

 

SHE FOLLOWED A SLOGAN SHE HEARD FOR THE FIRST TIME 

 

Emphasizing that she heard the slogan “Jin, jiyan, azadî” for the first time that day, Hashemi stated that she followed this slogan. Hashemi said: “I heard it for the first time, but it appealed to us. This is exactly what we wanted, to live free.  While the protests were going on, I couldn't research and learn it, I just gave meaning to this slogan with the emotions and feelings we heard. In a place where women are killed for their hair, a slogan that puts women at the center of everything impressed me a lot.”   

 

'EVERY HOUSE WAS OUR HOME'   

 

Reminding that the regime started to intervene more violently as the protests spread, Hashemi said: “The regime did not know what to do in the first 2 days. They did not expect that the uprising would spread so much and the participation would be high. Then, as the protests grew, they started to show more violence. Many women and children were injured, people were dying every day. When we were injured, every house on the street was our home, families took us in and treated us. On the second day of the protests I fell and got injured while running away from the police, an old woman took me into her house. I didn't know her at all, I was far away from my neighborhood, but she treated me.”   

 

Hashemi, who lost an eye due to “buckshot” during the protests, described that day as follows: “It was the 10th night of the protests, we were gathered as women, it was one of the most violent days. We were chanting slogans together, other mixed groups were coming behind us. We were walking with slogans, the soldiers and police of the mullah regime blocked us, they shot at us, they sprayed gas. They deliberately fired more at the part where there were many women. Bullets hit my face, many of my friends were wounded. At first I didn't realize that I had lost my eye, other resistance fighters took me to an ophthalmologist. The doctor told me that my eye was shattered and I would not be able to see.”  

 

'I JOINED THE PROTESTS AGAIN FOR MY EYE AND FOR WOMEN' 

 

Hashemi said that she had psychologically difficult days for a short time after she was discharged, “I didn't know what to do, I had no eyes anymore. I didn't talk to anyone for a week, not even my family. I participated in protests with my bandaged eye. I had participated in protests for women before, but now I participated in protests both for my eye and for women” she said.  

 

'I WILL BE ON THE STREET'   

 

Hashemi said that the majority of the people in Iran are angry with the regime, “Our anger is great and still very much alive” she said.  

 

As September 16 approaches, Hashemi said that preparations are being made to take to the streets and stated the following: “We were on the streets last year as well. Although the regime surrounded us with soldiers, we shouted slogans and protested. This year we will do it again, I will be on the streets. People were angry at me saying 'you still go to protests even though you have no eye', but I will resist and be on the streets even if I lose my other eye. Some people blamed me for what I went through. But I am not guilty, the mullahs and their soldiers are guilty. I am just saying that I don't want to die for my clothes and hair, I want to live and be free.”  

 

Hashemi finally called on women in 4 parts of Kurdistan to take to the streets on September 16 and support the Rojhilat resistance. 

 

* Name and surname have been changed for security reasons. 

 

MA / Berivan Kutlu