“They tell me they no longer want this system, they want democracy. They no longer believe in their reforms and they are right. The Iranian government is a dictatorship. […] They want a new government, a new regime, a new system. “
Interviewed by the journalist Christiane Amanpour at CNN, the director and author of comics Marjane Satrapi evoked the words of Iranian men and women who have been on the street for ten days.
The death of Mahsa Amini, this 22-year-old young woman from Kurdistan, arrested by the morality police and died in a Tehran hospital on September 16, has generated a wind of resistance in Iran. Demonstrations take place all over the country and are violently repressed by the police. According to the latest information from Iran Human Rights, 76 people have been killed since the start of the protest movements.
At the forefront of these actions, women cut their hair and burned their hijab.
In the wake of Mahsa Amini, other young women killed by law enforcement as they joined the protests.
Hadis Najafi, 20, was killed on 20 September in Karaj. Since then his name has been associated with a video that went viral, in which we can see a young woman from behind, tying her hair and ready to throw herself into the chaos of the clashes with the police. Since then several media outlets have corrected this information: the woman who appears in the video is not Hadis Najafi.
What to do to support Iranian women?
The fact remains that several young women killed in the repression of protest movements become the embodiment of this revolt, martyrs whose names are sung by the crowd who continues to take to the streets: Hananeh Kian23 years old, killed in Noshahr, Ghazaleh Shalab32 years old, killed in Amol o Mahsa Mogoi18 years old, killed in Isfahan.
What can be done to support Iranian women and show solidarity with all the Iranian people? Anglo-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi (The rings of power) shared on his Instagram account his recommendations to support the protesters, in particular that of inciting his Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene and exert international pressure on the Iranian government.
Also invite all those who have the opportunity to manifest. Unfortunately, ironically, the demonstration held in Paris on Sunday 25 September was repressed by the police who used tear gas, while the march wanted to reach the surroundings of the Iranian embassy.
She is also an actress Golshifteh Farahani who tells on Instagram what is happening every day in Iran and who does not hesitate to inveigh for the West to break the silence:
“How can you claim to be a feminist? How can you ask for gender equality, support MeToo and be aligned with Mahsa Amini’s movement? It has nothing to do with religion or ideology, whether or not to wear the hijab. It’s a question of FREEDOM TO CHOOSE for women and their BODY “
Supporting is also keeping informed. Several journalists and human rights activists continually publish images of the protests, including the journalist Masih Alinejadbut also Farid Vahid of the Jean Jaurès Foundation, or the historian Nina Ansary.
NGOs, such as Iran Human Rights, but also Amnesty Iran (who has launched a petition), Hengaw also provides reliable and verified information on the evolution of events.
Photo credit: Matt Hrkac via Flickr
Source: Madmoizelle
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
