JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan. Zendagi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
And also
Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jhina Mahsa Amini or Zhina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan, Zendagi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran  2022
And the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in 2023:  September 30 - 16 -- September 17 - 1 -- August 31 - 18 -- August 15 - 1-- July 31 - 16 --July 15 -1--June 30 - 15--June 15-1--May 31 -16-- May 15-1--April--March--Feb--Jan  
And for all topics below
that may hopefully interest you click on the image:

CLICK HERE ON HOW TO READ ALL ON THIS PAGE 

When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.

'THE JINA REVOLUTION'

Nika Shakarami, 16-years-old, beaten to death by the basiji. Allah has her soul.

Iranwire - September 22, 2023
<<Iranian Cleric Says Families Should Be Allowed to Mark Protesters' Deaths
Molavi Abdulhamid, Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric, has strongly criticized the authorities for preventing the families of people killed at last year's nationwide protests from holding memorials on the anniversaries of their deaths. <It is a universal custom and an Islamic tradition to extend sympathy to those who are suffering and grieving,> the outspoken Sunni Friday prayer leader of the southeastern city of Zahedan said on September 22. Authorities deterred the family of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death on September 16 last year sparked the month-long protests, from holding a vigil at her grave, in an apparent attempt to prevent fresh protests. The mother of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami, who became a symbol of the women-led protest movement, said she was forced to call off a vigil. And security forces attacked the family of Javad Heydari a day before the anniversary of the 39-year-old's death at a protest. The security forces' crackdown on the protests claimed the lives of more than 500 people, activists say. Thousands of others were unlawfully detained. In his Friday sermon, Molavi also spoke against the Islamic Republic's laws requiring women to wear a headscarf in public, two days after parliament passed legislation to impose further draconian penalties on violators. <If women were respected and given their rightful place, and if we had a comprehensive plan for the youth, there would be no need for young people to take to the streets in protest and there would be no need to pass complex and stringent laws in parliament,> the 76-year-old cleric said. Sources in Zahedan reported that the live broadcast of the sermon was interrupted due to a disruption to internet connectivity. Global internet monitoring organization NetBlocks confirmed the disruption, saying that it <follows a pattern of weekly regional internet shutdowns targeting anti-government protests during Friday prayers.> Zahedan residents took to the streets after Molavi's sermon, chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the security forces. Molavi has been a key dissenting voice inside Iran since the eruption of the widespread protests, using his sermons to call for fundamental economic, social and political changes in the country. Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people. The restive city has seen protest rallies almost every Friday since September 30 of last year, when security forces killed nearly 100 people in the deadliest incident in last year's demonstrations.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/120815-iranian-cleric-says-families-should-be-allowed-to-mark-protesters-deaths/

Iranwire - September 22, 2023
<<Group Decries <All-Out> Assault on Iranian Women's Rights
Amnesty International says that the Islamic Republic’s new <hijab and chastity> bill is a <despicable assault> on the human rights of Iranian women and girls that will <further entrench violence and discrimination> against them. <This all-out assault is part of the authorities' ongoing efforts to crush the spirit of resistance among those who dared to stand up against decades of oppression and inequality as part of the 'Woman Life Freedom' popular uprising,> Diana Eltahawy, the London-based human rights group's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement on September 21, a day after parliament passed legislation to impose further draconian penalties on women who do not wear a mandatory headscarf in public. Equating unveiling to <nudity,> the proposed law would provide prison terms of up to 10 years for anyone defying the <degrading and discriminatory> compulsory veiling laws and would make <insulting or ridiculing the hijab> a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence, travel ban and/or fine. The draft legislation would also encourage ordinary people, businesses and pro-government vigilantes to enforce compulsory veiling and expand the powers and capabilities of intelligence and security bodies to further oppress <women and girls who claim their human rights to freedom of expression, religion, belief and bodily autonomy.> <If approved by Iran's Guardian Council, it will further exacerbate the already suffocating surveillance and policing of women's bodies and require the Islamic Republic’s various political, security and administrative arms to obsessively observe compliance with compulsory veiling laws and control women’s and girls' lives,> Eltahawy said. Eltahawy urged the international community to <pursue legal pathways at the international level to hold Iranian officials accountable for ordering, planning and committing such widespread and systematic violations against women and girls.>
The controversial bill was drafted following months of widespread protests demanding more freedoms and women's rights.
The authorities have closed down hundreds of businesses due to the failure of owners or managers to observe hijab rules, and taxi drivers have been fined for transporting women without headscarves. Police and vigilantes issue warnings in subways, airports and other public places. Text messages have targeted drivers who had women without head coverings in their vehicles.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/women/120794-group-decries-all-out-assault-on-iranian-womens-rights/
Read the full Amnesty International report here:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/iran-compulsory-veiling-bill-a-despicable-assault-on-rights-of-women-and-girls/

Iranwire - September 22, 2023 - by
<<Hundreds of Women Detained in Tehran on Mahsa Anniversary
Iranian security forces detained at least 600 women in Tehran alone on the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death on September 16, according to the Committee to Follow-Up on the Status of Detainees. Citing information provided by the families of the detainees, the group said that the majority of those detained have since been released on bail. However, 130 women are still being held in the Quarantine Ward of Qarchak women's prison, south of the capital. Their cases have been referred to the prosecutor's office.
The report also provides a breakdown of arrests across Iran.
For instance, it said that 12 people who had gathered in the main square of Abarkoh, in central Yazd province, on the evening of September 16 were arrested at their homes overnight. As many as 20 individuals were also apprehended in Dehdasht, in the southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad. Protests erupted across Iran on September 16 amid a tight clampdown on any gatherings as one year passed since Amini's death while in police custody for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. The tragedy sparked monthslong demonstrations demanding fundamental changes - the greatest threat to the country's leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/women/120796-hundreds-of-women-detained-in-tehran-on-mahsa-anniversary/

Personal note from Gino d'Artali: Unfortunately I cannot quote the whole article as mentioned below without breaching the copyrights law and I feel deeply heartfelt because I can't because as I write as an intro line to the duet-autobiography by my to my deepest grief passed away and covers 15 years together in 'rats hell' (extremely physically and sexually abusing men): <How can our memories sooth our pain?> but to honour the more than respectable Dr. Sohrabi I'll quote some part:
Iranwire - September 22, 2023 - by AIDA GHAJAR
<<Iranian Doctor Remembers Kurdistan's Protest Crackdown Atrocities
I am awaiting the arrival of Dr. Mohsen Sohrabi in Paris at the home of one of my friends.
Dr. Sohrabi, a remarkable physician, emerged from the heart of a <war-torn region.>
He tirelessly cared for hundreds of wounded individuals in the Kurdish town of Sanandaj and carries with him the profound memories of those who lost their lives in that tumultuous period in September 2022. Numerous Iranian doctors found themselves at the forefront of the protests. They not only participated as concerned citizens but also diligently fulfilled their medical responsibilities. Consequently, the military forces, whose intentions were to inflict harm upon the citizens, targeted these valiant doctors. Many of these medical professionals were compelled to leave their homeland and seek refuge beyond the borders of Iran. Throughout the days and nights of protests and repression, Dr. Sohrabi fearlessly stepped forward to save lives on the streets, in homes, and within hospitals. He remained in Sanandaj during the months of protests, with the exception of November 21, 2022, a day forever etched in history as the <Javanrud massacre.> Now living in France, Dr. Sohrabi serves as a witness, shedding light on the ruthless actions of the security forces that mercilessly took the lives of protestors. The first time I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Sohrabi on the phone, he appeared hesitant to share his experiences. Recounting all that he had witnessed was a daunting task for him. However, he eventually overcame his doubts, understanding the importance of bearing witness to the repressions of the Islamic Republic. Dr. Sohrabi began to utter the names of the deceased and wounded, vividly describing the horrors he had personally witnessed. Sometimes, he would fix his gaze on a point in space, seemingly lost in a world where the images of bloody bodies, the agonized cries of the injured, and the souls cruelly severed from life played before his eyes. Dr. Sohrabi had not been in France for long. Perhaps, like so many victims of the 44-year rule of the Islamic Republic who seek refuge in exile, he too felt as though he existed in a bubble. It was as if, despite his physical presence in France, his very being remained intertwined with the streets of Sanandaj and Javanrud. It all began there, in Javanrud, a place where no media portrayal could capture the stark reality of that fateful day. Dr. Sohrabi referred to it as a <war-like> situation. On November 21, the Islamic Republic opened fire on protesters in Javanrud. According to Dr. Sohrabi's testimony, a wide array of weapons was deployed against the demonstrators, ranging from shotguns to military-grade firearms.
He explained how Javanrud quickly became a symbol of tragedy.
<On that day, I sought help both from the local community and from individuals involved in organizing relief efforts. I was on duty, and I even paid someone to take over my shift because I couldn't bear to remain idle,> he recalled. <I rushed to Javanrud. The protesters were unarmed as they chanted slogans, while security forces fired upon them at close range. The individuals I treated that day had suffered shotgun wounds, some of them critically. One patient, shot at point-blank range, was left permanently disabled. The entire city was under siege,> he added....>>
Please do read the story of the brave and more than courageous Dr. Sohrabi
https://iranwire.com/en/special-features/120798-iranian-doctor-remembers-kurdistans-protest-crackdown-atrocities/
Thank you - Gino d'Artali

Center for Human Rights Iran
<<International Community Should Call for an End to Gender Apartheid in Iran
September 20, 2023 - On the anniversary week of the eruption of Iran's <Woman, Life, Freedom> movement, sparked by the killing in state custody of a young women just three days after she was arrested for alleged inappropriate hijab, the Iranian parliament passed a bill that intensifies punishments against Iranian women and girls accused of wearing inappropriate hijabs. This legislation exposes them to heightened levels of violence. <The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is trampling the rights and freedoms of all women and girls in Iran by criminalizing freedom of expression,> said Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). <This includes the countless brave women who continue to risk their lives in peaceful defiance against the state's forced-hijab law by appearing unveiled in public.> <One year after the killing in state custody of Mahsa Jina Amini soon after she was arrested for alleged improper hijab, not one Iranian official has been held accountable, not for her death nor the killings of hundreds of protesters who rose up this past year,> Ramsey said. <Instead, all women in Iran are being subjected to collective punishment.> CHRI has issued a stark warning that the <Chastity and Hijab Law> not only violates due process rights, denying women in Iran a fair trial before punishment, but also exacerbates discrimination and violence against women in the country.
Women in Iran Now Face More Violence, Discrimination
In June 2023, a woman in Tehran shared her experience of the law's consequences with CHRI: <A few days ago, a man on the metro pushed me hard because I wasn't wearing a hijab and I fell on the ground. Then he dragged me....If the police hadn't arrived, the man wouldn't have left me alone.> This new law not only places undue burdens on ordinary citizens but also fosters vigilante violence, encouraging them to participate in the state's enforcement of hijab regulations. Through a system of surveillance and reporting, it also leaves women even more susceptible to violence. Alarmingly, even before the law's official ratification, judicial authorities have shuttered restaurants for serving unveiled women, and women have been denied access to banks for appearing without a hijab. These unlawful actions have occurred before the law's ratification. Proposed in response to the growing number of women and girls appearing in public without compulsory hijabs over the past year, the bill passed with 152 votes in favor, 34 against, and seven abstentions. Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), criticized the Iranian parliament, stating, <The parliament of the Islamic Republic has again displayed to the world that like the old men who rule over Iran through force, they are neither interested in nor accountable for the rights and demands of the people of Iran. Their only aim is to maintain their power.>
Hijabless Women Deemed <Prostitutes>
The newly passed <Chastity and Hijab> bill, comprising over 70 articles, now awaits review and approval by the state's <Guardian Council,> which seems likely. This council, composed of six clerics and six jurists, is headed by the 97-year-old ultra-conservative cleric, Ahmad Jannati, and is charged with vetting all legislation to ensure it compliance with the Islamic Republic's interpretation of Islamic law. Presently, women in Iran can face fines, arrests, or imprisonment for not adhering to hijab regulations. Article 638 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code stipulates penalties, stating,<Women who appear in public places and roads without wearing an Islamic hijab shall be sentenced to ten days to two months' imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousand to five hundred rials.> The human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was imprisoned under this law in 2019. Moreover, women can be charged with prostitution or <promoting prostitution> if they resist wearing the veil or advocate for a woman's right to dress as she chooses, as outlined in Article 639. This offense carries a punishment of one to ten years' imprisonment. The proposed <Chastity and Hijab> bill goes even further by equating the act of appearing in public without a hijab, whether in person or on social media, with harm to society, deeming it equivalent to <nudity.> The bill introduces a range of additional punishments, including fines, restrictions on accessing bank accounts, confiscation of personal vehicles, travel limitations, bans on online activity, and imprisonment. Saeid Dehghan, an Iranian human rights lawyer, criticized the bill's legality, citing a violation of Article 9 of the Constitution. This article explicitly states that <no authority has the right to abrogate legitimate freedoms, not even by enacting laws and regulations for that purpose, under the pretext of preserving the independence and territorial integrity of the country.>
Dehghan further emphasized the bill's problematic nature by highlighting the lack of clear definitions for key terms such as <violations of social norms> and <hijab.> This absence of clarity not only opens avenues for manipulation and misuse of the law but also increases the risk of citizens' rights being infringed upon due to the ambiguity.
Global Action Required to Unite Against Gender Apartheid in Iran
UN human rights experts have strongly denounced the Islamic Republic's practice of <criminalizing the act of refusing to wear a hijab,> asserting that it constitutes a clear violation of women and girls' freedom of expression. They emphasize that this violation can lead to potential infringements on other fundamental rights, spanning political, civil, cultural, and economic domains. Simultaneously, women's rights activists launched a campaign in March 2023 aimed at securing formal recognition of gender apartheid as a crime under international law. The campaign's ultimate objective is to dismantle the structures perpetuating gender-based discrimination and inequality in the Islamic Republic of Iran and under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Despite facing immense adversity, Iranian women continue their peaceful defiance against the hijab law, even within the confines of prison. Prominent human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi, from inside Iran's Evin Prison, recently published a letter in the New York Times. In it, she wrote, <The regime seems to be purposefully propagating a culture of violence against women. We are fueled by a will to survive, whether we are inside prison or outside. The government's violent and brutal repression may sometimes keep people from the streets, but our struggle will continue until the day when light takes over darkness and the sun of freedom embraces the Iranian people.> During his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi faced condemnation from UN human rights experts for his government's violent repression of protests. They expressed ongoing concerns about the policies and practices in Iran, which, they argued, result in total impunity for grave crimes committed under international law in the year following Mahsa Jina Amini's killing. <The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran could have learned important lessons from the tragic death of Jina Mahsa Amini. But its response to the demonstrations that have led to the deaths of hundreds of protestors since September 2022 shows that authorities have chosen not to,> they stated. CHRI urges the international community to urgently call for the repeal of the state's forced-hijab law and to demand and end the systemic repression and gender-based discrimination against women in Iran that it represents. <The hijab should be a choice, not a tool of state repression. Iranian women's courageous stance against this government of old men deserves international support,> said Ramsey.>>
Source:
https://iranhumanrights.org/2023/09/irans-parliament-approves-harsh-new-hijab-law-escalating-repression-of-women-majles/

iranwire - September 21, 2023 - By AIDA GHAJAR
<<Special Report: The Islamic Republic's Use of Blinding as a Weapon of War Against Protesters
It has been almost six months since Iran's nationwide protests began, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of the country's morality policy. IranWire has in that time identified more than 50 protesters who have suffered serious injuries to their eyes - and in many cases, blinded - because of the violent tactics used by Iranian security forces in their attempts to suppress popular demonstrations in favor of women’s rights and against the Iranian government. Our investigations will carry on after this report is published, of course, and IranWire will continue to gather evidence and to document this crime. The effort to find the victims, or to put it more accurately, the survivors of this violent and widespread crackdown on the 2022 and 2023 protests, started months ago. Beyond those survivors who have shared the stories of their injuries on social media, there is a larger group, in more remote parts of Iran, who remain unknown either because of threats to their safety or for personal or family reasons. Many others among the injured are unwilling to disclose their identities because they are afraid of retaliation by the security forces. Several are from underprivileged groups in Iran and live under various forms of political and social deprivation and discrimination - they cannot afford modern means of communication. IranWire nevertheless works to reach Iranians who do not have smartphones although this does take more time.
Several victims provided their medical records to IranWire and the doctors and lawyers consulting with us. The records must, of course, be kept confidential. One of the goals of Iranian security services, when they indiscriminately and deliberately shoot at the eyes of protesters, must be to teach a lesson to others; to intimidate and terrorize, so that they might not take to the street or demand liberty and human rights. But dozens of protesters who were shot because they were at the forefront of demonstrations have not hesitated: they have come forward to tell the public their stories and to show photographs of the injuries to their eyes and other parts of their bodies. At the time of writing, at least 500 protesters have been killed and at least 580 have lost one or both eyes. According to doctors and psychologists, losing an eye is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can have, like learning that one has cancer. Knowing this can help us feel a stronger sense of empathy with this group of fighters in the <Woman, Life, Freedom> uprising. They experience this trauma again and again, each morning, when they open their eyes or whenever they look in a mirror.The following is our first report on this horrifying tragedy that, either alone or with subsequent reports, can be presented as evidence at international criminal tribunals. But even as we work to document these facts, so that they will not be forgotten, we are also thinking about how to prevent such outrages from happening again in the future. Who are the real culprits in this tragedy? And what role do the manufacturers of the weapons used to blind protesters play in the overall effort to suppress protests? In preparing this report, we consulted with Katherine Heinet, Omid Shams, a group of doctors including Dr. Rouzbeh Esfandiari, Dr. David Khorram and others who shall remain anonymous, the international lawyer Dr. Payam Akhavan and a group of Iranian, British and French lawyers, and also several Iranian and French sociologists. We give each of them our special thanks and we remain committed to working together. The report will updated every Sunday with new case studies and stories of survivors. You can download the report by clicking on this link - Report (PDF): https://static.prod.iranwire.com/pdfcomponent/Blinding_as_a_Weapon_of_Suppression_ZcEX.pdf
.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/features/114739-special-report-the-islamic-republics-use-of-blinding-as-a-weapon-of-war-against-protesters/
Click here to read more 'blinding as a weapon' stories:
http://www.cryfreedom.net/JINA-FFF3-blinded-sept-in-others-shoes-2023.htm


Iranwire - September 21, 2023
<<Mahsa Amini and Iranian Women Nominated For Sakharov Prize
Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in Tehran a year ago while in custody for an alleged hijab infraction, has been nominated for this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the European Union's top rights prize. Amini's death sparked months of women-led protests across Iran demanding fundamental changes in the country, including gender equality and more freedoms. The authorities unleashed a brutal crackdown on the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement, killing more than 500 people and detaining thousands. The European Parliament announced on September 20 that Amini was nominated by the legislature's three largest blocs, making her the favorite to be chosen for the prestigious award. Two of the blocs also nominated <the women of Iran> and the <Woman, Life, Freedom Movement.> Three Afghan education activists - Marzia Amiri, Parasto Hakim and Matiullah Wesa - were also among those nominated for the Sakharov Prize, which will be presented in December. Each year, the European Parliament awards the Sakharov Prize to honour <exceptional individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.> Nominations are made by political groups or by at least 40 lawmakers.>>
https://iranwire.com/en/women/120757-mahsa-amini-and-iranian-women-nominated-for-sakharov-prize/

Iranwire - September 21, 2023
<<Iranian Protester Sentenced to Over 16 Years' Imprisonment
A resident of the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad who was arrested during last year's nationwide protests has been sentenced to 16 years and 4 months in prison. Human rights sources say Judge Hossein Yazdankhah from Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court handed down the sentence to Azam Gholami Zahab on August 23. The presiding judge, Hassan Yazdankhah, did not allow her lawyer to attend the court session. The 35-year-old Gholami was found guilty of <assembly and collusion against security, propaganda activity against the government and connection with the People's Mujahideen Organization,> an exile opposition group which Iranian officials regard as terrorists. Under the Islamic Republic's sentencing guidelines, Gholami will have to serve 15 years of her prison sentence. Gholami was arrested by the Intelligence Department of Mashhad in October 2022. During her 11 months of detention, she was inflicted physical and psychological torture to get her to <confess.> She was also deprived of her basic rights such as accessing a lawyer or receiving visits. Gholami is being held at the city's Vakilabad prison.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/120766-iranian-protester-sentenced-to-over-16-years-imprisonment/

Iranwire - September 21, 2023
<<Iranian Physician Who Treated Victims of Protest Crackdown Rearrested
Iranian security forces have rearrested a general practitioner dedicated to treating injuries sustained by protesters during last year's nationwide unrest. Dadban, a group of volunteers who provide legal advice to activists and protesters, reported that Yaser Rahmanirad was apprehended on September 21 during a dawn raid on his home in the city of Khorramabad, in western Lorestan province. The report said that the family's electronic devices, including mobile phones, were all confiscated. No information is available regarding the agency which carried out the arrest or the reasons behind it. Rahmanirad was initially arrested last year in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan province, for helping victims of the Islamic Republic's brutal crackdown on demonstrators. The authorities later dismissed the charges against him and closed his case. Following his release from detention, he continued to offer medical aid to protesters who suffered eye injuries inflicted by security forces. >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/120773-iranian-physician-who-treated-victims-of-protest-crackdown-rearrested/

 
Click here to go to the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' section

 Liberation Front 2019/cryfreedom.net 2023