Three years after Mahsa Amini's death, Iran faces movement it can't crush
Three years after an Iranian woman’s death in hijab police custody sparked the “Women, Life, Freedom” women’s rights movement, the Iranian regime is faltering under mounting crises.
TEHRAN — Three years after Mahsa (Jina) Amini’s death in the custody of Iran’s morality police on Sept. 16, 2022, the protests that action sparked have left a lasting mark. While the government has tightened controls, many Iranian women now walk unveiled through Tehran’s streets, and acts of defiance continue to ripple across society.
What began as spontaneous protests against the mandatory hijab became the most sustained and widespread challenge the regime had faced in decades.
The government's response has been heavy-handed, and over 550 people have been killed, prisons have been filled and 12 have been executed.
Yet the Islamic Republic may never be able to fully tamp down the movement — acts of public defiance are still apparent, grieving families refuse to be silent and many view the state as more vulnerable than ever before.
