Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini, a ‘quiet revolution’ is still under way in Iran
The scale of the protest movement that erupted after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the brutal repression of those demonstrations have left an indelible mark on Iranian society. More and more women are flouting the veil requirement when out in public in what one NGO has described as a "quiet revolution" while men's behavior and awareness have also seen a shift in the years since.
September 16 marks two years since a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for wearing what they called an "ill-fitting" veil, sparking one of the largest waves of protests in the history of the Islamic Republic.
In the days following Mahsa Amini’s death, tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to express their anger, chanting, "Woman, life, freedom." These demonstrations, which lasted for several months, were violently suppressed by the Iranian authorities. But two years later, the legacy of the protests remains tangible; tongues have loosened, and more first-hand accounts have begun to surface.
“We now know that unprecedented violence was used during the crackdown on these demonstrators. It was far worse than we thought,” said Chowra Makaremi, an anthropologist and specialist on Iran. “We only really became aware of the extent of the cruelty by reading the testimonies collected by the UN investigation.”
More than 30,000 arrests were recorded and at least 551 protesters were killed by security forces, including 49 women and 68 children.
"The Iranians have realized that their opposition has become foundational," Makaremi said.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
Read also:
Two years after Mahsa Amini's death in Iran, protest movement endures harsh persecution
Iran uses rape, torture to silence detained Mahsa Amini protesters, Amnesty says
Iran sentences journalists who covered Amini death to jail on propaganda charges
