Resistance that shook Iran: Jin, jiyan, azadi 

2023-09-14 12:58:07


	NEWS CENTER - Women in Iran are preparing for the anniversary of the "jin, jiyan, azadi" resistance they launched against the theocratic government that does not give them a living space. Journalist Şilêr Kurdistanî said: "Women will continue to resist until they are free."

	 

	While Iranian women have been stripped of all their rights by male rulers throughout history, it is possible to see that women's struggle for freedom is as old as the history of oppression. Iranian women, who do not leave the streets to gain their usurped rights, are once again leading the women's freedom struggle and resistance in the country in the 21st century. While the first radical actions of Iranian women, whose freedoms were restricted in every field, against the imposition of clothing and veil, occurred in the 19th century, Tahera Karat al-Ain, one of the leading figures of the Babi Movement that emerged in this century, lifted her veil in public in 1848 and abolished the compulsory veil imposed on Iranian women. She protested the compulsory. After this action, protests began to become widespread. Women such as writer Ismat Mostofi Ashtiani (1861/1868-1911) removed their veils in public.

	 

	JÎNA EMÎNÎ WAS MURDERED

	 

	In the 21st century, at a graveside that represented death, the sanctity of life was emphasized and resistance was promised. This grave was the grave of Jîna Emînî (Mahsa Amini), a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Seqiz, in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Jîna Emînî, who came to Tehran from Seqiz to visit her relatives, was detained on September 13, 2022 by Gaşt e İrshad, known as the "morality police", on the grounds that "the headscarf did not comply with the rules". It was stated that Emini died 3 days later, on September 16. In the statement made by the police station, it was stated that the young woman suddenly fell down at the police station on September 14 and died due to "brain hemorrhage" after being in a coma for 2 days.

	 

	After this date, people once again took to the streets in masses to demand freedom and regime change in Iran and Rojhilat. Ignoring the demands of the people, the Mullah regime tried to suppress the protests. During the protests, more than 500 known people were murdered, at least 110 people were executed, and at least 60 thousand people were arrested, although the actual figures cannot be reached due to the regime's disinformation-containing news. These protests, which started with women's demand for freedom, became the iconic slogan of the Kurdish women's movement in Turkey: "Jin, jiyan, azadi".

	 

	2 WOMEN JOURNALISTS ANNOUNCED THE MURDER TO THE WORLD

	 

	Iranian journalist Niloofar Hamedi, who received information that Emini was hospitalized after being detained on September 13, secretly entered the hospital and took a tortured photo of Emini and exposed the regime's lie that "she died due to brain hemorrhage." Emini was still in intensive care when Hamedi published the news. Emini passed away a day after the news went into circulation. Another journalist, Elahe Mohammadi, recorded Emini's funeral ceremony, which was attended by thousands of people and anger dominated, on September 17, and announced the anger and ownership of the people to the whole world.

	 

	THE FUSE OF THE ACTIONS WAS IGNITED

	 

	After the murdered Emini was buried, thousands of people marched in the city of Seqiz. Thus, the fuse of the actions was ignited. The protests spread to 31 states and more than 100 cities in 2 days. Thousands of people took to the streets at the same time in Rojhilat, Sistan and Baluchistan, Kirman, Gilan and Tehran with the slogan "Jin, jiyan, azadi" and demanded regime change. The protests started in the morning and continued until midnight. Thousands of videos of women leading the protests burning their headscarves and clashing with the police were quickly spread through social media platforms.

	 

	RESISTANCE WAS WANTED TO BE PREVENTED

	 

	Realizing that the resistance had spread almost throughout the country in a very short time and could not be suppressed with violence, the regime restricted WhatsApp and Telegram in the country. The regime, which did not prevent the protests by restricting messaging and news applications, also blocked social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. In Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces, where the protests were intense, the internet was completely cut off. Citizens responded to this move of the regime with VPN applications.

	 

	10 PEOPLE WERE MURDERED IN 6 DAYS

	 

	Despite all the pressure from the regime, hundreds of thousands of people did not retreat from the areas. As a result of law enforcement forces attacking the public with heavy weapons, at least 10 activists were murdered in 6 days. Citizens turned the funeral ceremony of each murdered activist into a new area of action. Slogans of "Jin, jiyan, azadi" rose from every graveside.

	 

	HEAVY PUNISHMENTS WERE RESPONDED WITH RESISTANCE

	 

	In his weekly speech at the High Council of the Judiciary on October 14, President of the Iranian Supreme Court of Appeals, Gulam Hossein Mohsen Ejei, addressed the judges hearing the cases of people arrested in the protests and instructed them to avoid giving "weak sentences" to those he defined as the main elements of the protests. Ajei said: "Unnecessary sympathy and weak decisions are the main elements of oppression against the people and the future," and asked for heavy sanctions to be imposed on the activists. The public's reaction to Ajei's statement was resistance again.

	 

	THE RESISTANCE IN THE PRISONS

	 

	On the 29th day of the protests, political prisoners in Evin Prison set fire to the wards in support of the resistance. 4 prisoners were burned to death during the resistance in the prison. The next day, Sine and Tabriz prisons joined the resistance. In the following days, thousands of political prisoners from dozens of prisons across the country started rioting. Prisoners in Evin Prison chanted "Death to Khamenei" slogans in the prison courtyard. People who wanted to support the intense conflict in prisons blocked the roads leading to prisons to prevent military shipments. Unable to cope with the resistance, the regime found a solution by taking the prisoners to other prisons, but each prisoner started a hunger strike in the prison they went to.

	 

	When the dates showed October 16, the protests had left a month behind. Thousands of people gathered at the graves of those who lost their lives in the resistance, especially Emini. Citizens visiting cemeteries in groups of thousands continued their protests.

	 

	ATHLETES COMPETED WITHOUT HEADSCALD

	 

	Athletes also participated in the revolution that spread to all segments of society. She appeared without a headscarf in sports competitions, where female athletes are required to wear a headscarf wherever they are. The first action came from Elnaz Rekabi, who represented Iran in the final leg of the Asian Rock Climbing Championship held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, on October 17. After Rekabi, skating team member Nilüfer Merdani participated in the marathon in Istanbul without a headscarf. Sara Khadim al-Sharia, who later participated in the chess tournament held in Kazakhstan, also refused to cover her head. Throughout the year, many female athletes participated in competitions without headscarves. Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi, who competed in the final leg of the Asian Rock Climbing Championship held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, without the headscarf that is mandatory in her country, returned to Iran on October 19. Thousands of people enthusiastically welcomed Rekabi in Tehran.

	 

	PRESSURE ON JOURNALISTS

	 

	While anger was growing at the protests, Iranian journalist Nazila Maroofian, who interviewed Emini's father, was arrested on October 30, 2022, upon the instructions of the Police Prosecutor's Office in Evin Prison, due to her news report, and was subjected to serious pressure and threats to make a forced confession during the interrogation process in the detention center. Journalist Nazila Maroofian was temporarily released from prison on 600 million tomans ($14 thousand) bail on January 9, 2023. Nazila Maroofian was tried by the 26th Branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of "making propaganda against the regime" and "publishing false news to agitate the public." Nazila Maroofian was given a 2-year sentence and was also banned from traveling abroad for 5 years. Nazila Maroofian, who was asked to go to the House Prosecutor's Office, was arrested for the second time, this time on July 9, 2023. Nazila Maroofian was released on bail of 300 million Iranian rials on August 13, 2023, after more than a month of detention. Maroofian was arrested for the third time on August 14 and was released again on August 16. Journalist Maroofian was arrested for the 4th time without justification on August 30. The journalist was last released on bail on September 9, 2023.

	 

	THE HOUSE WHERE KHOMEINI WAS BORN WAS SET ON FIRE

	 

	While the protests continued unabated, participation in the protests also intensified. On November 18, activists set fire to the house where Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was born. In the photos and videos shared on social media accounts, it was seen that the house in the city called Khomeini was partially burned.

	 

	THEY POISONED CHILDREN

	 

	Women and girls, who were at the forefront of the protests, became the target of the regime. After girls studying in high schools and secondary schools also participated in the protests, a chemical attack on girls' schools in Qom began on November 30. The attack, which started in the city of Qom, spread to other cities such as Tehran, Ardabil, Borujerd, Vardanjan Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Sari, Qochan, Torbat Jam and Qazvin. At least 4 children lost their lives in chemical attacks. In Tehran, on March 18, 5 girls dancing without headscarves were detained and forced to apologize in front of the cameras on state television. Thereupon, thousands of women across the country started dancing in the streets without headscarves.

	 

	THE REBELLION MOVED TO NEWROZ

	 

	The resistance, which started on September 17 in the Seqiz cemetery, met with Newroz on March 21. Kurds celebrating Newroz in many cities of Rojhilat chanted the slogan "Jin, jiyan, azadi". Celebrating Newroz, the people of Rojilat visited the graves of Emini and other activists who lost their lives in the resistance.

	 

	WOMEN DO NOT CARRY HEADSCARF WITH THEM

	 

	Women, who have been fighting against compulsory headscarf for a long time, carried the headscarf with them even if they did not cover their heads at the beginning of the protests. Women used to use the headscarf when necessary, but after a year, hundreds of thousands of women stopped even carrying headscarves in their bags.

	 

	PREPARATION FOR SEPTEMBER 16

	 

	As the first anniversary of the resistance approaches, people in Iran are making preparations. Fearing that the people would join the rebellions again, the regime made heavy military deployments to all cities. The public's response to the regime, which arrested many politicians, activists, artists and citizens, was "we will be in the fields".

	 

	Kurdish parties and labor unions from Rojhilat announced in their statements that they would go on a general strike on September 16. Citizens can use #????_?????? from their social media accounts. It publishes thousands of messages under the hashtag (Mahsamini) and calls people to come out.

	 

	Journalist Şilêr Kurdistanî from Rojhilat, who follows the developments closely, evaluated one year of the resistance and the atmosphere in the country.

	 

	Stating that the protests took their collective power from the slogan "Jin, jiyan, azadi", Kurdistani emphasized that this slogan is a philosophy in Kurdistan. Kurdistani said: “The roots of this slogan are in Kurdistan. This revolution also started in Kurdistan. Kurdistan women have been fighting against the Iranian regime for years. This time, women took the leadership of the movement by giving priority to women's issues and freedoms."

	 

	WOMEN DO NOT LEAVE THE STREET

	 

	Kurdistani said that the government tried to take the society back to the pre-Jîna murder by increasing the patrols of Gaşt e İrshad and imposing heavy penalties on women, and added: “However, the regime had to step back every time. They are trying to deal with women by applying the heaviest penalties and widespread arrests in society, but they are not successful. We will definitely see women return to the streets and street struggles begin. Women never give up on protests and fight against the government in every possible way."

	 

	MEN TOOK  ACTION

	 

	Saying that women's demands were ignored by men until the "Jin, jiyan, azadi" resistance, Kurdistani said: "Let's be realistic, men had no choice but to act together with women. If they had not acted with women, they would have been left behind in the flow of social developments. It would be wrong to say that all men who took to the streets were protesting women's rights. Some of them were due to economic problems. However, if they were aware that this was a women's revolution and were looking for change, they had no choice but to accompany the women's struggle and accept their leadership. There is still a patriarchal and misogynist society in Iran, and despite the events of last year, the status of women in the family has not changed much." 

	 

	'RESISTANCE WILL CONTINUE'

	 

	Reminding that Iranian women have resisted and been killed for freedom many times throughout history, Kurdistani said: “For Iranian women, the path to freedom is through paying the price. They paid a high price to achieve minimum freedoms. Women know that some of their rights are not easily obtained and that they can be killed this way, but they also know that there is no other choice. In the new process in Iran, women will continue to resist until they are free."

	 

	MA / Berivan Kutlu