Preemptive Crackdown: How Iran Acted to Prevent Protests in Memory of Mahsa Amini

On September 16, 2024, marking the second anniversary of Kurdish young woman Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of the Iranian morality police, security forces launched a continuous campaign of arrests targeting dozens of activists who called for commemorative protests both domestically and abroad.

Two years ago, Mahsa Amini, 22, was brutally beaten by the morality police for allegedly failing to adhere to proper dress codes, resulting in severe injuries that led to her hospitalization at Kowsar Hospital in Tehran. She passed away three days later.

In the wake of her death, widespread protests erupted across various cities, dubbed the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution, particularly in Kurdish regions. These protests were considered the largest demonstrations since the overthrow of the monarchy in 1979, resulting in over 500 deaths, hundreds injured, and thousands arrested.

Arrest Campaigns

Since early September 2024, Iranian authorities have launched an arrest campaign that has affected dozens, the latest being the detention of four individuals in Kurdish cities, along with raids on the homes of victims from the 2022 protests.

According to the opposition human rights website IranWire, the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence arrested four Kurdish citizens in Divandarreh County, Kurdistan Province, on September 8.

The detainees include Mohammad Amini and Navid Sharifi from Kani Sefid village, Farhad Qamari from Koutak, and Fouad Moradi from Kileh Kaboud, all arrested without any search warrants or arrest orders.

IranWire reported that at least 14 civil activists, artists, and family members of the victims of the 2022 uprising have recently been arrested in Kurdish cities, referring to protests following Mahsa Amini's death.

The website noted that these arrests are part of a broader crackdown targeting opponents, civil activists, and families of victims of the 2022 protest suppression.

On September 11, the opposition channel Iran International revealed that security forces surrounded the home of protest victim Shahryar Mohammadi and arrested everyone inside while seeking to detain his mother, who was not present during the raid.

Shahryar's brother, Milad Mohammadi, reported that a similar incident occurred the previous week, when a group of families of Mahsa Amini's protest victims were arrested in Mahabad while visiting their graves.

The report highlighted that Daye Mina, Shahryar Mohammadi's mother, has been actively reaching out to families of victims across various cities to foster solidarity since her son was killed by security forces in West Azerbaijan Province.

Amjad Amini, Mahsa’s father, confirmed in a voice message to the channel the family's desire to hold a memorial service for her, noting he has received numerous messages from citizens wishing to participate in commemorating her death.

He mentioned that everyone wants to gather at Mahsa’s grave to honor her memory. Still, the family is uncertain whether security forces will allow the ceremony this year as they did in 2023.

Security forces also arrested Kurdish director Reza Alaei, taking him to an unknown location after raiding his home in Baneh, western Iran, without presenting any judicial authorization.

Strike and Protest

In conjunction with the ongoing arrest campaign, nine labor, and civil associations announced, on the second anniversary of the “Women, Life, Freedom” revolution sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, that the inevitable conflict between the majority of the people and the regime has persisted for years due to deteriorating living conditions.

In a joint statement on September 13, the associations declared, “We recognize that we have no choice but to continue the revolution.”

Kohar Ashqi, the mother of the opposition blogger Sattar Beheshti, who was killed in prison, sent a message to the authorities saying, “You are nothing, We are not afraid of you.”

Prior to this, several Kurdish opposition parties called on citizens in Iranian Kurdistan and other regions to participate in a general strike on September 15 as part of efforts to commemorate Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of the regime.

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan said in a statement on September 12, referencing the Jina Mahsa Amini movement and its central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom, emphasizing the importance of solidarity with protests in Iranian Kurdistan.

The statement noted that "the position of the people of Kurdistan and their calls in the streets were civilized and dignified, to the extent that other regions of Iran joined this movement with supportive slogans such as: ‘Kurdistan, Kurdistan, we support you' and 'Kurdistan, Kurdistan, the eyes and lights of Iran.’”

It urged all segments of the population in Kurdistan to actively participate in commemorating this occasion, calling on “the Iranian people to unite against the policies of repression and tyranny implemented by the regime.”

In a separate statement, the opposition Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan highlighted the diversity and breadth of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, asserting that it shakes the foundations of the repressive Iranian regime, while the struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy continues.

The party called for the people of Kurdistan to participate in the general strike, emphasizing the need for “everyone to demonstrate their resolve to continue the struggle.”

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Free Life Party urged participation in the general strike on September 15, pointing to the economic, political, and social pressures imposed on the people.

The Iranian Kurdish opposition party affirmed that “the only solution to overcome this situation is continuous resistance and the struggle for democracy,” stressing that “the people's struggle against the regime continues, and the general strike is part of it.”

Noor Plan

In the same context, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran reported on September 13 that two years after Amini's death, Iranian authorities are escalating their repression of women.

UN experts accused the Iranian authorities in the report of “intensifying” their crackdown on women, including issuing death sentences against activists.

“Two years after the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests began following the unlawful death in custody of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini, the Government of Iran has intensified its efforts to suppress the fundamental rights of women and girls and crush remaining initiatives of women’s activism, the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran warned.

In 2022, the UN Human Rights Council appointed experts to investigate the deadly security crackdown targeting protests that shook various Iranian cities following Amini's death.

According to the UN report, experts stated that despite the large protests having subsided, the ongoing challenge from women and girls continuously reminds us that they still live under a system that classifies them as second-class citizens.

They noted that the crackdown has significantly intensified since April 2024, pointing out that authorities have increased repressive measures and policies through what is known as the “Noor Plan,” which encourages violations of the rights of women and girls who defy hijab rules.

The team reported that security forces have escalated various forms of physical violence, including beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls deemed noncompliant with mandatory hijab laws.

They also warned that authorities have enhanced surveillance of hijab compliance, even in private spaces such as vehicles, using various means, including drones.

The new “Hijab and Chastity” bill, now in the final stages before approval, aims to tighten penalties for women not wearing hijabs, including imposing hefty fines, long prison sentences, and travel bans.

The experts expressed particular concern regarding what appears to be a new pattern of issuing prison sentences for activists after convicting them of national security-related offenses.

They noted that over the past two years, the death penalty and other provisions of local criminal law, particularly those related to national security, have been used as tools to intimidate or deter Iranians from protesting and expressing themselves freely.

Amini's death sparked widespread protests, igniting the largest revolutionary uprising against the regime. According to human rights organizations, over 550 protesters were killed, hundreds lost their sight, and at least 10 were executed, as reported by Reuters on September 16, 2023.

In contrast, Iranian Mehr News Agency quoted Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, in September 2022, stating that everyone in the country was affected by the death of Mahsa Amini. He said he does not have the latest numbers, but he believes more than 300 martyrs have fallen in the country, including children, since this incident.

General Hajizadeh attributed the protests to what he termed “enemies of Iran,” naming the United States, Germany, and France, while acknowledging that the participants are not hostile rebels but “our children and part of our people.”