On September 13, 2022, Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iranian morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf according to regulations. After the arrest, Masha was taken to a police station. According to witnesses, Jina Mahsa Amini was beaten during the transport and arrived at the police station already injured. There she directly asked for help and was beaten again, whereupon she collapsed unconscious.
She was subsequently hospitalized with severe head injuries and was in a coma. On September 16, she was pronounced dead. Her medical records have been released by a hacking group. The documents indicated that she died because of the injuries. Security authorities had previously claimed that Amini died due to pre-existing conditions.
As a result of the circumstances surrounding her death, protests against the Iranian regime's strict morality rules have erupted across the country. More and more people have taken to the streets to protest for their freedom and self-determination.
The Iranian regime under President Ali Khamenei responded with harsh repression resulting in thousands of people being arrested and tortured. Hundreds have been shot in the streets during protests. Many people have been sentenced to harsh punishments or even death and executed in show trials. Young women and girls have been deliberately poisoned at schools to discourage them from protesting. The Internet has been throttled to prevent information from leaking out. Nevertheless, many people have continued to report on the situation in the country using VPN connections.
The protests have spread across the country. In addition to schools and universities, unions and businesses have joined the protests and called for strikes.
On social media, the hashtag #IranProtests changed to #IranRevolution.
Many international politicians have shown solidarity with the protesters in Iran and in some cases have taken on sponsorships with imprisoned demonstrators. On the political stage, human rights violations in Iran have been criticized, but practical steps against the regime have failed to materialize, except for the freezing of some foreign accounts.
At the beginning of the protests, we pointed out the current situation via social media, supported the large-scale demonstration in Berlin on October 22, 2022, and bought some VPN connections and provided them to Iranian activists.
Six months after the protests began, the Iranian civilian population's struggle for freedom continues. But the regime also continues its repression in a brutal way. It kidnaps, arrests, tortures, and kills to spread fear and suppress the resistance movement. Now and in the months ahead, it is important that what is happening in Iran does not disappear from the news. There is a need for continued international political pressure on the regime and solidarity with Iranian civil society.
