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Fearless Iranian youth lead demands for end to ‘bloody’ dictatorship Georgia Valdes gvaldes@beaconmedianews.com
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Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” (“Women, Life, Freedom”) is the chant coined by Kurdish women fighting for autonomy in the early 2000s. Today, it is elevated by protesters in Iran who, despite incredible violence and rolling internet shutdowns, demand an end to the Islamic regime following the Sept. 13 arrest and subsequent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, also known by her Kurdish name Jîna Emînî. Her life ended at the hands of Iranian morality police after detainment for “improperly” wearing her hijab. Once again, young women, and even children, are risking and losing their lives at the front of the charge. As of this report, protests have spread to at least 19 cities in Iran and 233 have been reported dead, but human rights groups assume more deaths have gone unreported. “(Military) violence has even reached the point of beating and arresting a pregnant woman in the street and attacking a primary school for girls whose ages are between 7 and 12-13 years old, and their videos have been broadcast on the internet, and there are many reports of arresting high school students in schools,” an anonymous Iranian told Hey SoCal on Oct. 13. “People don’t have any weapons and they fight with their handmade weapons but (the) government uses real weapons, toxic fumes and
bullets.” The individual’s identity is protected for fear of retribution. Amini’s tombstone Kurdish inscription reads, ¨Jîna gyan to namirî. Nawit ebête remz¨(Beloved Žina (Mahsa), you will not die. Your name will become a code.) “#Mahsaamini” hit social media and as anger grows so does the outreach, as of this reporting the hashtag use has surged well into the millions. Iranian officials continue to try and block internet access, but tech savvy Iranians have managed to break past barriers to send messages and videos all over the world. On the ground, to minimize bloodshed and increase demonstrator stamina, protestors’ tactics have been randomized and sporadic. These types of demonstrations are able to mobilize and scatter quickly. Otherwise, the cause relies on media exposure and attention from the online world community. “In Iran, everyone helps others in some way. We prevent the arrest of others by informing on social networks, distributing leaflets and the (forming a) wall (around) the leader of the demonstration,” the anonymous source said, “Our concern is the closure of virtual networks and severe filtering of the government's use of violent suppression tools. Communication in Iran at this time has been difficult,
Iran protest Oct. 15 in Sherman Oaks, CA. | Photo courtesy of Craig Melville
most of the time the internet is completely cut off and it is not possible to bypass filtering, and some times of the day using some filter breakers it is possible to communicate with low internet speed.” The U.S. eased internet sanctions on Sept. 23, and President Biden released an Oct. 3 statement supporting protests stating, “This week, the United States will be imposing further costs on perpetrators of violence against peaceful protestors. We will continue holding Iranian officials accountable and supporting the rights of Iranians to protest freely.” This, ANON source said, is not enough. In their opinion, political leaders of Iran should be restricted from traveling and benefiting from Western
economics. “According to the opinion of the majority of the people of Iran, (Western countries) have supported (the Islamic regime). The president, despite the opposition of the Iranian people in Iran and the Iranians in America, easily travels to America and brings a souvenir truck for his family. Despite the ban on the entry of American goods for ordinary people, even the entry of American vaccines was banned for ordinary people and caused the death of many people in the beginning of the CORONA pandemic. We know that banning (President Ebrahim) Raesi from traveling to America is against the rules of the United Nations but this person is a criminal and he committed crimes so there is no reason to deal
with him according to law. In addition, many officials and their children have dual citizenship in the United States and European countries and have bank accounts in the United States…it is the request of the Iranian people, and the United States can say whether it supports the Iranian people for this request or not. Not with words but with actions.” For Iranians, including Iranian-American academic activist Neyereh Tohidi, professor emerita and former chair of gender & women’s studies and the founding director of the Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at California State University, Northridge, the issue has moved past the possibility of elected reformation, and that this mobilization of resistance by the youth
in Iran is on course for possible revolutionary change. “Many people boycotted the elections because they have become convinced that the elections are not working. This regime is not capable of reforming itself,” she said, “We have 3 million university students. We have 6 million high school children. These are themselves, majority, overwhelming majority of them are against this regime. All of them young, fearless and fed up and frustrated and angry. Not only because they have been humiliated, (but) they have been repressed, oppressed (from) having a normal life or living like a young person. Their dress code, what music they listen to, what leisure See Fearless Iranians Page 6