One year after historic popular protests against pervasive violence and discrimination against women emerged across Iran, the regime remains resolutely committed to denying its people’s human rights.
On September 16, 2022, Jina Mahsa Amini died in custody following her arrest three days earlier by Iran’s morality police, who had accused her of failing to cover her hair in accordance with the country’s mandatory veiling law for women. Amini’s death sparked more than 1,600 protests around the country, many led by women and girls and featuring chants of “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The protests were followed by widespread or systematic killing, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual violence, and persecution. Iranian authorities reportedly killed more than 500 protestors, more than half from Kurdish and Baluch areas of Iran, and nearly 20,000 protesters were arrested. Among those particularly targeted for arrest and punishment were hundreds of children, more than 60 of whom were killed. Many of those arrested were subjected to torture and ill-treatment and were tried in secret before Islamic revolutionary courts in proceedings that violated basic due process standards. Iranian authorities also imposed internet blackouts and other extreme restrictions on communication to prevent the sharing of information and further protests.
As Iranian authorities deepen their repression, it is incumbent on the international community to recognize and condemn these ongoing abuses and insist on a change. Additional analysis and recommendations from the Jacob Blaustein Institute about speaking out and accountability are detailed in the report, found here.