Two years after Jina Mahsa Amini’s murder at the hands of Iranian morality police, the repercussions still ripple through Iran’s socio-political landscape. Despite continued repression and mass arrests, inmates in prisons across Iran, Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat) and the broader Iranian society have emerged as major players in the resistance against the rule of the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, the international community continues to call on Iran to respect human rights, as the regime, indifferent to the voices of the protesters, further entrenches its authoritarian foundations.
Global reactions
There was a general strike across Iranian Kurdistan on 16 September, the second anniversary of Amini’s death and the start of the Jin Jiyan Azadî (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising. This nationwide strike coincided with a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States, expressing their solidarity with the women and girls of Iran who continue to fight for basic freedoms.
The statement condemned the “barbaric repression” by Iranian security forces, which has led to the deaths of at least 500 people and the imprisonment of over 20,000 since the start of the uprising. The statement praised the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising as a united and enduring force and referred to the report of the UN Fact-Finding Committee, which condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for its continued execution of women and other human rights violations. The foreign ministers warned that all available legal measures, including sanctions and visa restrictions, would be used to hold Iranian violators of human rights accountable.
Simultaneously, the European Union released a statement urging the Islamic Republic to end systematic discrimination against women. The EU demanded that the Iranian government respect the rights of citizens and guarantee their fundamental freedoms.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/09/16/iran-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union/
The EU’s chief of foreign policy Josep Borrell lauded the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which he said draws strength from “the courage and determination of countless Iranians, especially women”, while paying tribute to Amini’s memory.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called on the US government to intensify efforts to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for religious freedom violations. USCIRF Vice-Chair Eric Ueland emphasised the need to support international initiatives to hold the regime responsible for “crimes against humanity against those asserting freedom of religion or belief”, while Commissioner Susie Gelman declared it was time for “a coalition of like-minded countries to impose joint sanctions on Iranian regime officials”. They highlighted Amini’s tragic death, the protests against the compulsory hijab, and the regime’s “Noor” project, which continues to enforce hijab regulations on women.
Meanwhile, the Australian government imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on five senior security and law enforcement officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran for their role in violently suppressing the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the sanctions on 16 September, emphasising the complicity of these individuals in the violent repression of protests in Iran.
Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy, reminded the international community of the continued brutal repression in Iran. She noted that “Victims, survivors and their relatives continue to be denied truth, justice and reparation for crimes under international law.”
Iran: Two years after ‘Woman Life Freedom’ uprising, impunity for crimes reigns supreme
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/amnesty-international-on-second–anniversary-of-woman-life-freedom-uprising/33115609.html
Earlier, on 15 September, hundreds of people marched in Paris, and a solidarity event took place in Cologne, Germany, organised by human rights groups, showing international support for Iranian women and civil society.
The following day, France 24 reported on the enduring impact of the protests sparked by Amini’s murder and the government’s brutal crackdown, which has had a “lasting impact” on Iranian society. Anthropologist and Iranian affairs expert Shura Makarmi explained, “We now know that unprecedented violence was used to suppress the demonstrators. It was far worse than anticipated.” She added that the uprising reshaped how traditional and religious groups view the Islamic Republic.
The article also noted that the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement has catalysed significant societal changes, including shifts in men’s attitudes towards women’s rights, opposition from religious factions towards the government and growing disillusionment with the reformist camp.
Iran
The resistance in the Iranian Kurdistan and Iran itself continues to fuel the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising. On 15 September, the second anniversary by the Iranian calender, there was a general strike in Iranian Kurdistan, and 34 political prisoners in Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons, chanting the slogan Berxwedan Jiyane, Serhildan Jiyane (Resistance is Life, Rebellion is Life) began hunger strikes in memory of Amini and the 2022 uprising.
On the same day, an Instagram account linked to Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political prisoner in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, announced that women prisoners at the prison had begun a hunger strike in solidarity with the people protesting against the regime’s oppressive policies. An audio file shared by Mohammadi’s account captured the prisoners’ defiant chanting and singing.
The “Transition to Democracy for Iran Management Council” issued another statement, declaring:
“Despite the regime’s efforts to stifle it, the flame of the Jin Jiyan Azadî revolution, ignited in Saqqez on 25 Sharivar 1401 (16 September 2022), continue to burn. On the second anniversary of the uprising, 25 Sharivar 1403 (15 September 2024), Iranian Kurdistan launched a nationwide strike supporting the ongoing women’s revolution”.
The statement referred to the hunger strikes of the political prisoners, solidarity protests worldwide and the global demand for justice. The defiant act of women dancing in the streets of Iran was hailed as a symbol of the revolution against fundamentalism. The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement represents the unity of all social groups, led by Iranian women and youth, striving for a democratic Iran free from discrimination.
The Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising stands as one of the most significant protests in the history of Iran and Kurdistan. Although the uprising seems to have been suppressed, it continues as a silent revolution deeply embedded within Iranian society and politics. It remains a force shaping the socio-political landscape, setting the stage for the eventual collapse of the Islamic Republic and the transition to a democratic Iran. The widespread boycott of the 14th presidential election by the people of Kurdistan and Iran only goes to emphasise how the impact of the Jin Jiyan Azadî uprising has surpassed the expectations of both reformists and conservatives within the regime.
