Two years ago, the arrest and subsequent murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini by the Morality Police, known as the Guidance Patrol, triggered a widespread protest movement that has represented one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic Republic. The Iranian government suddenly found itself contending with a “post-Mahsa Iran,” a society irrevocably changed. Yet, the government’s response has remained constant: repression, overt violence, and executions have sought to stifle the protests and their demands.
The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement brought these tactics into stark focus. Security forces, from the police to the Basij and Revolutionary Guards, openly fired on protesters. This blatant use of force, fully aware that their actions would be broadcast on social media and international news, laid bare the government’s brutal treatment of those who dared to raise their voice and challenge the government’s authority. However, this violence did little to weaken the movement ignited by Amini’s death.
In contrast to the 2009 Green Movement, which primarily saw protests in major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Rasht, and Isfahan, the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising involved more than 100 cities across the country. This widespread involvement has left a lasting impact, with the movement continuing to simmer beneath the surface of Iranian society.
Contrary to the government’s expectations, public outrage has not diminished two years after Amini’s murder. Even during early presidential elections and in the days leading up to the anniversary of Mahsa Jina’s death, the names of those killed, executed, and brutally repressed are still being remembered and discussed, particularly on social media.
Amini’s murder and the ensuing movement hardened popular resistance against the Morality Police’s mistreatment of women and triggered widespread refusal to comply with mandatory hijab laws. This defiance has permeated Iranian society, with images of women without the obligatory hijab becoming more commonplace, even in some government offices.
The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement has fundamentally redefined female identity in a society long dominated by patriarchal values. Unlike previous women’s movements in Iran that focused primarily on legal equality, this movement emphasizes redefining women’s roles across social, cultural, and political spheres, and its impact is already being felt.
Iranian society has undergone a significant transformation in this post-Mahsa era. The youth of the 1980s and 1990s have given way to a new generation born in the 2000s, who seem more intent on pursuing fundamental changes than reforming the existing political structure. Many Iranians believe these changes are necessary given the tragic killings of individuals like Sarina Esmaeilzadeh, Mehrshad Shahidi, and hundreds of other young people.
This shift does not exclude the 1980s and 1990s generations. Many of those arrested during the protests belong to these age groups and are still imprisoned. However, the younger generation’s desire for change has gained prominence.
While the Islamic Republic’s heavy-handed tactics diminished the protest movement, it now confronts a populace with many unwilling to return to the Iran that existed before Amini’s murder. Countless women continue to defy the mandatory hijab daily, navigating public spaces despite pressure from vigilantes and security forces.
Yet, the Islamic Republic has encountered an unusual form of street resistance. Pouyan Hosseinpour, a member of the security forces, admitted in a video during the protests that, unlike previous movements, the protesters this time showed no intention of retreating. This acknowledgment revealed a new generation of protesters rising on the streets, comparatively fearless having had little experience of past repressions.
In this complex situation, the rise of Masoud Pezeshkian’s government amid a low turnout election offers a potential turning point from the harsh repression that typified the governmental response to past protests. During his election campaign, the former reformist parliamentarian Pezeshkian pledged to end the activities of the Guidance Patrol. Additionally, in his first press conference on September 16, he announced that the Guidance Patrol does not have the authority to confront women. The President, however, represents just one power center in the Islamic Republic and there are continuing reports of confrontations with women and vehicle impoundments for not complying with hijab laws. Still, if empowered, Pezeshkian could pursue a path toward redefining social norms that begins to close the massive gap between state and society.
Pezeshkian has also assumed office as the government has continued to invest significant resources in its repressive apparatus. Following the protests of fall 2022, the government significantly increased the budget for intelligence and security agencies, adding new funding lines, including over 800 billion tomans for “cyberspace security” in the 2023 budget.
Art has also played a vital role in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, from ongoing graffiti to the production of hundreds of musical pieces, demonstrating how society has become more vibrant and dynamic in its pursuit of change. The Iranian film industry remains inflamed, with hundreds of cases related to the protests and dozens of banned artists, symbolizing the ongoing changes in society.
In recent days coinciding with the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, widespread shop closures were reported in Kurdish-majority cities in western Iran. In Saqqez, the hometown of Amini, shops in the city center and the main market were extensively closed. Likewise, images from Bukan, Marivan, Mahabad, and Piranshahr show that many shops and businesses in the central streets of these cities are also closed.
The protests of fall 2022 were a cry that emerged from years of social and cultural repression. At its core, this movement is about life itself—a life denied to citizens over decades of Islamic Republic rule. It represents the realization of individuals’ will to live with dignity and meaning.
Freedom, another central tenet of this movement, embodies the struggle to liberate oneself from all forms of domination and tyranny. It is not just an individual concept but also has social and global dimensions, representing the ability to make choices and take responsibility for them.
In the two years since Amini’s murder, the people of Iran and opposition groups have also undergone significant transformations. The opposition must now acknowledge the younger generation that took to the streets, paid the price, and shed their blood on the pavement. They need to provide a platform for this new voice to be heard, representing a new wave of dissent.
Today’s Iran will never return to what it was before Mahsa. Mahsa Amini, called Jina by her mother, was murdered while in the custody of the Islamic Republic’s police when she was a 22-year-old visiting Tehran. After her, dozens of young Iranians lost their lives in protest. Now, we witness a post-Mahsa Iran—an Iran that will never go back to the moment before her arrest.
NIAC, while commemorating the anniversary of the death of Ms. Amini, supports the struggles of the Iranian people to achieve the goals of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement. It calls on the authorities of the Islamic Republic, especially President Masoud Pezeshkian, to honor their commitments and promises to millions of Iranians by ending the repression of women and youth and supporting the freedom of the Iranian people, particularly in choosing their lifestyle and attire.
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