The biggest protests since 2009 erupted in Iran. What could this mean for the country’s future?
Dr Homayoun Alizadeh (*1952 in Zurich) is of Iranian descent and was a senior official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Africa, Asia and Geneva from 1995 to 2014.
On September 16, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested in Iran by “moral guards” for not following the Islamic dress code and later died from a beating to the head, sparking international outrage and nationwide protests. The women’s revolt against four decades of oppression and discrimination in the Iranian theocracy has lasted more than a week. “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi – Woman, Life, Freedom” is the main slogan of the biggest national demonstrations since the 2009 presidential election, when more than a million people took to the streets to protest against electoral fraud.
Women burn scarves on their heads, cut their hair – and people from other regions declare their solidarity with the people of Kurdistan, where Mahsa Amini came from. New feature. It is also significant that this time the men are taking to the streets along with the women.