Mahsa Amini: a year into the protest movement in Iran, this is what’s changed
Amini died after being arrested for allegedly breaching hijab rules.
- Amini died after being arrested for allegedly breaching hijab rules.
- The news of her death prompted nationwide protests, jolting the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
How protests took hold
- The state’s reaction to the Women, Life, Freedom protests that broke out in reaction to Amini’s death has been predictably draconian.
- Sources suggest hundreds have been killed, a staggering nearly 30,000 detained , and a spate of executions have been carried out.
- Just as troubling are the tales emerging from the shadows, stories of detainees facing unspeakable horrors, from torture to rape.
- Although the ruling elite’s ongoing struggle to enforce the compulsory hijab appears futile, the regime is showing no signs of conceding.
Where did it all start?
- Misuse of power, corruption, catastrophic economic policies and the unabashed use of violence have methodically whittled away the revolutionary “allure” of the regime.
- But while the student protests of 1999 and the Green movement of 2009 were significant chapters in Iranian history, the post-2018 period witnessed a tectonic shift.
- Protests are no longer confined to urban centres – they’re nationwide, audacious and challenge the very core of the Islamic Republic’s ideology.
- The Women, Life, Freedom movement, with its lasting impact and international spotlight, stands as a testament to this change.
- While the move towards democracy may span years, the desperate desire for change must, surely, shift the prevailing order.