Mujgan İftixari, the mother of Jina Mahsa Amini, who was murdered by Iranian forces, shared a message on her social media account on the occassion of Newroz, Kurdish New Year.

The message by İftixari said: “Singing and dancing is a rebellion against those who want to silence and kill us. Dancing together and singing songs is a way of shouting that we are alive. Let us turn Newroz into an opportunity to embrace life and struggle. Let us make this day a tool of resistance against the oppressive punishments of the Iranian regime.”

Background

In the fall of 2022, the death of Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini triggered the most serious protests in the history of the Islamic Republic to date. The 22-year-old woman from Saqqiz was visiting Tehran when she was arrested by moral guards for allegedly violating the dress code. Shortly afterwards, she died in police custody. According to her family, Amini was forcibly dragged into a police van and taken to a police station, where she collapsed and fell into a coma as a result of further abuse. On September 16, 2022, doctors at a Tehran clinic pronounced Amini dead.

Jina Mahsa Amini's death sparked the nationwide "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) revolution, in which women were at the forefront. The young generation in particular took to the streets for months against the repressive policies of the Islamist leadership. The state apparatus violently crushed the demonstrations; more than 550 people died and other protesters were executed. In addition, more than 22,000 people were arrested. Human rights groups say the Iranian government uses the death penalty to suppress public outcry.