The Death of Mahsa Amini and the Tragedies That Followed
PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On Sept. 16, Iranian woman Mahsa Amini was allegedly beaten to death by police on the streets of Tehran, Iran for not wearing her hijab correctly in public. Her death sparked a massive, ongoing chain of protests, deaths, and violent riots not only in Iran but the entire world. People everywhere are protesting Iranian laws on women, and many are dying in the crossfire.
One week after her 23rd birthday, Amini was strolling the streets of Iran when a cop claimed that she was wearing her hijab “too loosely” and beat her into a coma, according to eyewitnesses, including those who were detained with her. She was hospitalized with severe brain damage and was in a coma for two days before she was officially declared dead on Sept. 16. The government of Iran forced the family to claim she died of a heart attack, though it was later discovered that she, at the young and healthy age of 22, did not.
“They’re lying. They’re telling lies. Everything is a lie … no matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me see my daughter,” Mahsa’s father, Amjad Amini said of her death. This unjust killing and the attempted cover-up began the ongoing protests in Iran.
Large protests led by young women have taken to the streets. They are cutting their hair, burning their hijabs, burning down police stations, and men can be seen protecting women who are attacked by the morality police—and the government is not taking the riots lightly. They are resorting to military force, beating, gun violence, and tear gas to gain control of the protestors, which has unsurprisingly led to many accidental (or otherwise) deaths. As of last week, there have been at least 224 reported deaths, all of which are a result of the sudden uproar of anger, and the violent force of the police.
In an attempt to bury the protests, the government of Iran has cut off internet access in the country, cutting off all communication, as well as cutting off journalists from being able to report on the protests. All news reports in Iran are now being strictly monitored by the state. When this did not work in concealing the events, they resorted to imprisoning up to 41 journalists in Evin prison. The prison burned down in a deadly fire on Oct. 15, the death toll currently unknown. It is not confirmed if the fire was caused by the orders of the government, however, it conveniently injured many of the trapped journalists, severely and possibly, permanently.
Not only have there been angry protests on the streets of Iran, but also in schools. Children from elementary to high schools are gathering and protesting the hijab laws during school hours, often seen pushing morality police out of the school campus when they visit to enforce hijab laws. This has also resulted in many deaths of minors in the country. According to the non-profit Iran Human Rights Organization, there have been 27 reported child deaths in the protests, both in school and out, as the Islamic Republic appears to ignore all obligations to protect children.
Many believe this will be a historical period in Iran’s progression, and these protests could mark the beginning of a revolution.
