What Is the Story of Mahsa Amini?

You have probably heard her name on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, etc., or maybe you have seen people's protests against her death in Canada, Germany, and other cities and countries worldwide. She is Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl from Kurdistan, Iran. Her heartbreaking death and the oppression that her voice reached the people of Iran very soon have now spread all over the world. Freedom-loving people are demanding justice for Mahsa and all Iranian women. In the rest of this article, we will explain who Mahsa Amini was. Why and by whom was she killed? What is the demand of the protesters for her death? And what future is predicted for Iran's imminent revolution?

Who Is Mahsa Amini?

Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian girl, born and living in Kurdistan, Iran. She visited Tehran with her younger brother Ashkan Amini for a several-day recreational trip. She was supposed to return to her hometown of Saqqez a few days later and run the clothing store that her father had just bought for her, but the heartbreaking tragedy of her death stopped this young girl from achieving her dreams.

What happened to Mahsa Amini?

As we said, Mahsa Amini had come to Tehran with her brother for a short trip. At around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the 22nd of Shahrivar (13 Sep), when she left the Tehran metro station, she was arrested by Iran's morality police of Iran for failing to fully cover her hair with her hijab. She and a number of other girls were forced into police vans to be taken to the detention center, and Mahsa's brother's pleas to not take her and saying that "we are strangers in this city, don't take her" were not effective either. The truth about what happened in the police van and what happened to Mahsa is not clear. Mahsa and the other girls were taken to the detention center. Mahsa's brother, Ashkan, was behind the prison doors all the time. Suddenly, Mahsa was taken out of the detention center in an ambulance! Mahsa Amini fell into a coma amid the people's disbelief!

While no government institution had given a clear answer for its cause, angry people gathered in front of the hospital and chanted slogans against the government. This was the first day of the Iranian revolution.

Protests Against the Government in Iran

Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, leaving people all over Iran in mourning. The protests, which took place in front of the hospital door and the surrounding streets immediately after the news of Mahsa's coma, intensified on Friday when the news of her death was announced.

Iranian people, especially Iranian women, were shocked, sad and angry. Internet campaigns supporting Amini and condemning her murder increased rapidly. #Mahsa_Amini crossed the million mark very soon. People all over Iran tweeted about what happened to Mahsa and expressed their anger at the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The continuation of these hashtags and people's street protests, as well as the association of famous Iranian and world celebrities with the revolutionary movement of Iranian women, caused the voice of Iranian people's protest to be heard all over the world.

The main slogan of these protests is WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM. This slogan clearly shows the demands of the protesters.

The Role of Women in Iran's Anti-government Protests

Women play a key role in Iran's protests these days. Because the beginning of this collective action was the murder of Mahsa Amini, a woman, for the crime of not observing the mandatory hijab, this issue made Iranian women very furious. Iranian women cut their hair in front of the cameras and the streets. They burned their scarves and hijab.

They bravely faced the irrational laws of the Islamic Republic. During this period, the government killed many Iranian women and teenage girls in protests. Nika Shakarami; a 16-year-old girl, Sarina Esmailzadeh; a high school teenager, Hadis Najafi; a 22-year-old girl who died from 6 bullets, Hanane Kia; a young girl who was recently engaged, can be mentioned among them. So far, at least 23 children under the age of 20 have been killed in Iran's 2022 protests.

Which Celebrities Supported the Protests in Iran?

Many artists around the world supported the Iranian women's revolution. In Iran, the national heroes of the people, including Ali Daei, Ali Karimi, Golshifteh Farahani, Ketayoun Riahi, Shabnam Farshadjo, Voria Ghafouri, Hamed Lak, Nazanin Boniadi, etc., and outside Iran, celebrities such as Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid, and Bella Hadid supported the modern revolution of the Iranian people. They said they stand with the women of Iran.

Iranian Protests in Toronto

Hamed Esmailiyoun, the spokesperson of the PS752 flight family association, which was shot down by IRGC missiles and lost his wife and 5-year-old daughter in this flight, was able to plan a grand demonstration in Canada by organizing protests abroad. Iranians in Toronto gathered in different cities of this country, including Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa, and chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic of Iran. They defended their compatriots inside Iran and asked foreign powers to intervene in this matter.

More than 50,000 people participated in this magnificent demonstration held on October 1, which can be said to be the largest gathering of Iranians abroad in Canada.

Iranian Protests in Berlin

The largest demonstration of Iranians outside Iran protesting Amini's death and the oppressive laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran was held on October 22, 2022, with the call of Hamed Esmailiyoun in Berlin, Germany. More than 100 thousand people participated in this demonstration, and it is unbelievable!

Iranians abroad from all over the world gathered on this day and protested against the dictatorial rule and brought the voice of their countrymen to the whole world.

Mahsa Amini Hashtag

In addition to the street protests, The cyber war between opponents and supporters of the status quo was happening on social media. Numerous government sites were hacked, and the global solidarity propelled Mahsa Amini's hashtag, which became the first in the history of Twitter to record more than 300 million tweets. It does not seem that another hashtag can break this record soon. 

Iranian men and women have always stood against oppression. Today, Iranian men and women are working together to build a free Iran. Each of us, wherever we are in the world, must stand up to defend humanity, freedom, and human rights for the Iranian people.