Honoring the 2nd Anniversary of the 2022 Iran Uprising
On September 16, 2022, Iran was shaken by the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, igniting a wave of protests that lasted several months across more than 200 cities. The 2022 Iran uprising became one of the most significant movements in Iran’s history, with young women standing at its forefront, leading and inspiring millions in the fight for freedom and equality.
The developments following the 2022 Iran uprising have shown that the clerical regime will never return to its previous state of stability. The rallying cry of “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader” reverberating in protests across Iran, demonstrated that the Iranian people reject any return to dictatorship and seek a society founded on freedom and equality.
As we reflect on the second anniversary of the 2022 Iran Uprising, it is essential to highlight the pivotal role women have played and continue to play in the struggle for freedom in Iran.
Lives Cut Short, but Never Forgotten
At least 750 individuals were shot and killed during the 2022 Iran uprising, with more than 30,000 being detained and tortured. Following are a few examples from the long list of courageous women and girls who were slain in the protests, giving their lives to make freedom a reality for their fellow citizens.
1. Mahsa Amini: The Spark That Ignited a Movement
Mahsa Zhina Amini, a young Kurdish woman, who had just been admitted to the university. She was in Tehran with her family to visit her relatives. On September 13, 2022, she was arrested by the “morality police” in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
Some two hours later, Mahsa fell into a coma after being severely beaten by police. She died on September 16.
Mahsa Amini’s murder provoked the anger of Iranians and sparked a flaming uprising that lasted several months across the country.
2. Sarina Esmailzadeh: The Voice of a Generation
Sarina Esmailzadeh was only 16 years old when her life was brutally cut short during the protests in the city of Karaj. She was killed by the IRGC security forces on September 21 with multiple baton blows on her head, causing her to bleed profusely from the head.
Sarina was an outspoken YouTuber, sharing her thoughts and frustrations about life under the Iranian regime with her audience. Her death became a poignant symbol of the government’s violent crackdown on young women.
3. Donya Farhadi: A Life Ended Too Soon
Another bright young woman, Donya Farhadi, 22, was a student of architecture at Azad University of Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran. Her family found her lifeless body, pierced by bullets, on December 15, 2022, on the shores of the Karun River. Donya Farhadi disappeared on December 7, 2022, after a quarrel with members of Basij at the university.
The state media claimed the cause of Donya Farhadi’s death as “self-inflicted jumping from the bridge and drowning in the Karun River.”
4. Maryam Arvin: Lawyer and Activist
Maryam Arvin, 29, was an attorney-at-law and a member of the Lawyers Association in Kerman Province. Maryam was deeply disturbed by the images and news of children being killed or detained daily. She provided counseling and support to the families of protesters detained in Sirjan.
Maryam Arvin engaged in a heated argument with the judge of the Revolutionary Court while defending a 15-year-old orphan boy who lacked the financial means to hire a lawyer. She was subsequently summoned and imprisoned. She was released on bail on December 13, 2022. However, she passed away two months later.
On May 29, 2023, Tayyebeh Nazari took to her Instagram account to express that her daughter, Maryam Arvin, who was arrested for defending her clients, met her demise due to drugs injected into her in prison, supposedly done under the pretext of administering tranquilizers and sedatives.
5. Ayda Rostami: The Doctor Who Dared to Help
Ayda Rostami lost her father when she was ten, but by working hard and overcoming life’s problems, she could be accepted into medical school and become a doctor. During Iran’s 2022 protests, 36-year-old doctor Ayda Rostami went to the western areas of Tehran and Ekbatan township to voluntarily treat those wounded by security forces.
On the night of December 12, she was visiting patients in Ekbatan but never returned home after going to the pharmacy to get bandages. At noon, the next day, her family was informed that she had been killed in a car accident.
Rostami’s family was shocked to see Ayda’s body. The right half of her face and her nose were crushed. Her arms were severely broken, and her left eye had several stitches and was completely closed, meaning the left eye was enucleated. There were also bruises and injuries indicating sexual assault on the lower part of her body. All the evidence indicated that security agents had killed and tortured Ayda Rostami.
6. Yalda Aghafazli: A Fighter for Freedom Who Never Expressed Remorse
Yalda Aghafazli was another young woman who paid the ultimate price for her role in the protests. Killed at the age of 19, Yalda’s courage and determination to fight for her freedom inspired many others. Yalda Aghafazli actively participated in the protests but was arrested on October 26, just a little over a month into the uprising.
The 19-year-old protester spent 15 days behind bars. In a call from prison, she said, “During these 12-13 days, I faced more beatings than in all my 19 years of life. They wrote in my file, ‘the accused did not express remorse,’ and I said, ‘Yes, that’s right. I won’t express remorse.’ Until the very last moment, I stood by everything I had done.”
Yalda was released on bail on November 9 but tragically she was found dead in her bed two days later.
There are widespread rumors that prison authorities administer lethal injections to resistant prisoners before releasing them, leading to their deaths outside prison walls.
The Legacy of Resistance: The Unbreakable Spirit of Iran’s Women
The emergence of a generation of young women who led the charge in the 2022 Iran Uprising did not happen overnight. Their courage, which has captured global attention, embodies a historical progression and social maturation of women who, for years, have dismantled traditional stereotypes of “womanhood” in their confrontation with the most formidable dictatorship of contemporary history.
The 1980s in Iran were marked by a wave of violent crackdowns on dissidents, including women who challenged the state’s religious and political doctrines. Thousands of women were arrested, tortured, and executed for their political beliefs and opposition to the regime. Most of them were part of the best-organized opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) since the 1980s.
They were beaten, raped, and forced to endure inhumane conditions, yet they remained steadfast in their fight. These women have played an integral role in the PMOI/MEK leadership since the mid-1980s. The stories of these women are ones of resilience, showing that despite the regime’s efforts to silence them, their voices have only grown louder over time.
Suffering, But Stronger: The Flames of Hope Burn Brighter Than Ever
Two years after the 2022 Iran Uprising, the regime is weaker than ever. The nationwide protests marked a turning point in Iran’s modern history. It was not just a moment of protest but a declaration of defiance from a generation that refuses to live in fear. The resolve of Iran’s rebellious daughters and sons is more earnest than ever, and the united will of the people for freedom is stronger than any power in the world.
Despite the immense suffering and loss, the 2022 Iran uprising has strengthened the resolve of the Iranian people.
Women have borne the brunt of the regime’s repression, facing violence, imprisonment, and even death. Yet, instead of breaking their spirits, these sacrifices have only fueled the determination of the protesters. The courage of women like Nika Shakarmi, Hadis Najafi, and many others has inspired a new generation of Iranians to continue the fight for freedom.
Today, as we commemorate the second anniversary of the 2022 Iran uprising, the ongoing widespread protests across Iran reveal the deep-seated dissatisfaction among the Iranian people. The bold and pioneering actions of the heroic PMOI Resistance Units, many of them women, now taking on new dimensions across the country, signal the imminent collapse of this decaying regime, foreshadowing yet another uprising. The flames of hope in the hearts of the people of Iran burn brighter than ever before.
The sacrifices of women like Mahsa Amini, Armita Geravand, and countless others who have given their lives for freedom will not be forgotten. Their legacy lives on in the continued resistance of the Iranian people, who remain determined to build a future where freedom is not just a slogan, but a reality.
On June 21, 1996, in a gathering at Earlscourt Hall in London, Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, addressed the mullahs and said, “You have done your utmost to humiliate, suppress, torture, and slaughter Iranian women, but rest assured that you would receive the final crushing blow from the very force you discounted, the very force whom your reactionary mindset cannot allow you to take into consideration. Rest assured that these knowledgeable and free women will dismantle your oppression everywhere.”
The Iranian regime will continue to use violence to suppress dissent, but the tide has turned. The people of Iran, led by their brave women, are more united than ever in their quest for freedom, and no force can extinguish the fire of hope that burns in their hearts. Iran will soon see its dawn of victory with “Women, Resistance, Freedom.”
