Saleh Nikbakht is an Iranian lawyer and academic. He is the spokesman for the Society of Political Prisoners in Iran.
The Guidance Patrol or morality police is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its primary role is to enforce Sharia law as defined by Iranian legislation, with a particular focus on ensuring compliance with Islamic dress codes, such as mandating that women wear a hijab. Established in 2005 as the successor to the Islamic Revolution Committees, the Guidance Patrol reports directly to the Supreme Leader.
Events in the year 2022 in Iran, which is dominated by protests.
On 16 September 2022, 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini, died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances. The Guidance Patrol, the religious morality police of Iran's government, had arrested Amini for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards. The Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that she had a heart attack at a police station, collapsed, and fell into a coma before being transferred to a hospital. However, eyewitnesses, including women who were detained with Amini, reported that she was severely beaten and that she died as a result of police brutality, which was denied by the Iranian authorities. The assertions of police brutality, in addition to leaked medical scans, led some observers to believe Amini had a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke due to head injuries received after her arrest.
Hadis Najafi was an Iranian woman who died after being struck by gunfire in Mehrshahr, Karaj, during the 2022 Iranian protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. Her death has been widely reported in international media, and like Amini before her, Najafi also became a symbol of female empowerment and the ongoing protests against the Iranian government.
Woman, Life, Freedom is a slogan that originated within the women-led Kurdish movements. This slogan transcended its initial context and garnered global recognition following the 2022 protests in Iran, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was in the custody of Iran’s morality police for “improper” clothing.
Niloofar Hamedi is an Iranian journalist who works for the reformist daily newspaper Shargh. She was arrested during the Mahsa Amini protests for breaking the news about Mahsa Amini and reporting on her treatment by Iran's Morality Police. Hamedi is also known for her work as one of the first journalists to have interviewed the family and lawyer for imprisoned writer Sepideh Rashnu, and she published an investigative report on her case. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
Fatemeh Sepehri is a political and women's rights activist and a political prisoner from Iran.
Mona Borzouee is an Iranian poet and songwriter. Borzouee is known for writing Persian song lyrics for several well-known Iranian musicians. She was arrested in October 2022 during the Iranian protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Minoo Majidi was a 62-year-old Iranian woman who was killed by Iranian authorities during the September 2022 Iranian protests.
"Soroode Zan" is a feminist anthem by Iranian singer and composer Mehdi Yarrahi. Composed by Yarrahi and written by Mona Borzouei, it is a protest song with musical composition of anthem style, released eighteen days after the Death of Mahsa Amini —which sparked a massive global protests all around the world— inspired by her death and its aftermath. Beginning with the "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogan, in the lyrics, the narrators are calling everyone to join them in the Mahsa Amini protests.
Toomaj Salehi is an Iranian rapper mainly known for his protest songs concerning Iran's societal issues and the policies of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In July 2023, the Iranian Government sentenced Salehi to six years in prison for participating in the 2022 Iran protests. On 24 April 2024, Salehi was sentenced to death for charges linked to Iran's 2022–23 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, before it was overturned in June 2024.
Armita Abbasi is an Iranian protester, who was arrested on October 10, 2022, in Karaj, Iran by the Islamic Republic of Iran's forces amid Iran's nationwide protests. A week after her arrest, she experienced a serious medical condition that was reported by the hospital medical staff and by American newspaper CNN as multiple sexual assaults, this was later disputed by the Iranian government and Iranian newspapers, which reported the medical condition as intestinal issues. Abbasi was allegedly abducted by government security forces from the hospital. Her case has received attention from the international media, and has brought attention to sexual violence and repression in Iranian prisons. As of February 2023, she was released from prison.
The ongoing Mahsa Amini protests broke out following the death of Mahsa Amini while she was under arrest by the Guidance Patrol of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Reactions to her death and the following crackdown on protestors by law enforcement are both domestic and international.
Gisuborān meaning haircutting (Persian:گیسوبران) is one of the mourning rituals in Iranian culture. This ritual gives a sad and emotional state to mourning. In 2022 women in Iran and later internationally used haircutting as a protest against the treatment of women in Iran. The BBC included an unknown woman cutting her hair as one of their 100 Women in 2022.
Aida Rostami was a 36-year-old Iranian physician who was allegedly kidnapped, fatally beaten, and killed by security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran for treating protesters who were injured during the Mahsa Amini protests. In light of rising demands and threats on Iranian hospitals and medics to assist security forces in the middle of the protests, Aida Rostami has emerged as an inspirational figure among medics associated with the Mahsa Amini protests.
Shabnam Farshadjoo is an Iranian actress of stage, film, and television.
Elham Modaressi is an Iranian artist and activist who was arrested in 2022 for her active involvement in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. She is one of the detainees of the Mahsa Amini protests.
The political slogans against the Islamic Republic of Iran are a series of slogans and expressions used by the Iranian public to voice opposition to the Islamic regime and its government. These slogans have developed over the years as a response to widespread discontent with the country's socio-political environment. Many Iranians say that the 1979 revolution, which overthrew the Shah's monarchy, initially promised democracy and freedom, but resulted in the establishment of a theocratic regime under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. Over time, these political slogans have become a significant tool for expressing dissent, reflecting the aspirations of millions seeking freedom, justice, and systemic change in Iran.
Sarvenaz Ahmadi is an Iranian social worker and journalist who was sentenced to six years imprisonment after taking part in the Mahsa Amini protests in 2022.
