The Iranian regime’s alarming increase in pressure on women
Following the Women, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadî) protests that erupted after the assassination of the Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini, the Iranian regime increased the pressure, especially on women. The regime has tightened the hijab law, increased punishments and expanded the number of surveillance cameras in public places. Earlier this month, more than 40 countries issued a joint statement condemning the systematic discrimination against women in Iran, and Amnesty International reported that the Iranian authorities launched an all-out assault on the human rights of women and girls last year.
According to human rights activists in Iran, at least 529 people have been killed in demonstrations since the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ protests began. More than 19,700 people have been detained by the authorities in a violent crackdown to stifle dissent. While Iran has refused for months to release overall casualty figures, it has acknowledged that tens of thousands of people have been detained. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 534 people were executed in 2023, including five protesters and 13 women. This is a 25 percent increase on the same period last year.
Two women journalists in prison
Recently, an Iranian court sentenced two female journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, to up to seven years in prison. Both journalists had been in prison for over a year after reporting on the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. While nearly 100 journalists were arrested during the demonstrations that followed Amini’s murder, Hamedi and Mohammadi’s reporting had a significant impact on the spread of rage that followed in the days after Amini’s death.
Kurdish women’s rights defender forcibly disappeared
Verishe Moradi, a Kurdish political activist and women’s rights defender in Iran, also known as ‘Ciwana Sine’, was abducted by Iranian security forces about three months ago. Her family has no information about her situation or whereabouts. According to Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), Verishe Moradi, who is also a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women’s Society (KJAR), was abducted by security forces in Sanandaj on 1 August while she was traveling. It is believed that Moradi is being held by the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence forces. KJAR has launched a petition calling on the international community, the UN and global human rights organizations to take immediate action on Moradi’s enforced disappearance.
Morality police beat Armita Geravand into a coma
A young woman who fell into a coma after being beaten by morality police for not wearing a hijab has been declared ‘brain dead’, Iranian state media have reported. Armita Geravand, aged 16, collapsed after boarding the Tehran metro on 1 October. Activists accused the morality police of attacking Armita for not wearing a headscarf, but the authorities said she had fainted and threatened the young woman’s family. Geravand is being treated under tight security at Fajr Hospital in Tehran.
Sakharov Prize for Jina Amini
Jina Mahsa Amini has been awarded the Sakharov Prize posthumously. Amini is the second Kurdish woman to win the Sakharov Prize. The first was Leyla Zana in 1995. Leyla Zana was elected to parliament in 1991 and caused outrage in the Turkish parliament when she added a few words in Kurdish after taking the oath, and was stripped of her parliamentary immunity and imprisoned.
Not only Jina Amini, but also the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ movement won the Sakharov Prize. It is not clear who will receive the 50,000 euros awarded to the winner of the Sakharov Prize. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, is awarded annually by the European Parliament.
Another woman activist who received an award was Narges Mohammadi, who has been imprisoned in Iran. Earlier this month, the imprisoned Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the oppression of women in Iran.