“Don’t be scared. We’re all here together.” Those were the last words of a protester in Iran. Ghazaleh Chalavi in footage shot from her mobile phone moments before the phone falls to the floor and those nearby scream her name. Ghazaleh was shot dead, protesting for basic human rights.
Ghazaleh was one of many who have taken to the streets of Iran to protest the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was taken into police custody in Tehran on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022. Mahsa, originally from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, had travelled to Tehran to visit family. She was with her brother, Kiaresh Amini, when she was arrested by the Islamic Republic’s “Guidance Patrol” before being transferred to the “Moral Security” agency.
Mahsa’s crime? Allegedly wearing an “inappropriate” hijab.
Kiaresh was told Mahsa would be taken to a detention centre to undergo a “briefing class” and be released shortly after. Instead, Mahsa was released to Kasra Hospital, where she died days later. According to now-deleted social media posts from the hospital, Mahsa was brain-dead on arrival and remained in a coma for three days before she died from cardiac arrest.
Several witnesses claim the patrol beat her in the van that was supposed to take her to the detention centre. Tehran police commander, Hossein Rahimi, claims Mahsa’s death was an “unfortunate accident”, saying her heart attack resulted from existing health conditions — a claim her family have emphatically disputed.
Since then, a movement has roared through Iran — and the world — with women at its helm. Like many, I’ve seen the news and social media posts about the protests and assumed I “knew” what was happening. The truth is, these protests extend way beyond recent events and into a systematic, often ignored history of oppression.
“Iran is a country with a beautiful history, over 5000 years of rich culture and magnificent hospitality,” Mona Afshar tells me. An Iranian Australian, Mona came to Australia in 2009 to complete her Master of Professional Accounting at the University of Western Australia. An actress, Mona has lived in many countries and completed studies at the Stella Adler Academy of Screen Acting in L.A; she now lives in Perth, WA, with her young family.
“Iranians love their country, but for 43 years, we have been living under a huge shadow of oppression, especially the oppression of women,” Mona tells me. “This isn’t a recent thing. The Islamic Revolution happened in 1979; before then, Iran was
a free country. We did not vote for the Islamic Republic. Votes were manipulated to get the regime into power, and as soon as they were, everything changed. They began with mass executions of anyone who opposed the regime, anyone who was educated — hundreds of brilliant Iranians lost their lives.”
The Islamic Republic made wearing a hijab compulsory for all women. There was outrage and protests when the law was first mandated in 1979, but the regime retaliated by throwing acid at women, cutting their faces and devising a campaign of fear to get women to comply.
“We lost our freedom in every single sense. Women have a completely different lived experience inside the home than outside. We live double lives. You pretend you’re something you’re not just to survive,” Mona says. “It isn’t just wearing a hijab. We’re not allowed to wear make-up, bright colours, white — you can’t show any amount of skin or a little bit of hair. The Morality Police are everywhere, picking on women, accusing them of sexual temptation and referring to us with sexual slurs in attempts to degrade us — just for wearing light-coloured clothing.”
Mona has been helping to organise rallies and demonstrations in Perth, WA, to support the Women Life Freedom movement growing worldwide. Mahla Karimian, a photographer and artist, fled the regime in 2013 and came to Australia as a refugee. Mahla has been organising similar rallies and protests in Melbourne, Victoria. Both women shared with me their experiences of being arrested by the Morality Police.
“When I heard Mahsa Amini’s story, it really made me reflect on how she would have felt. I have been in that space — in the same situation — many times,” says Mahla. “I was held in a detention centre for three days and my parents had no idea where I was; they thought I had fled the country, or worse, that I was dead. I had to sign so much paperwork to say that I knew what I had done wrong, but they wouldn’t let me out until my father found me and signed the paperwork too.”
Mahla’s crime was street photography. After studying photography in Iran, she was then forbidden from practising her passion. Following her detainment, Mahla no longer felt safe and made the tough decision to leave her entire life behind.
“Women who go there [to the detention centre] and make it out don’t leave the same person. Everything they hear, everything they’re told, is designed to break them. They threaten you, abuse you and ridicule you and your passion. Learning about Mahsa made me think of her parents — everything they’re going through. It motivated me to do something about it and become Mahsa’s voice and her parents’ voice. I have freedom in Australia and I need to do something with it.”
Mahla is a printmaker technician with Monash University and works closely with the refugee community, offering art classes and workshops on a full range of creative pursuits to support the wellbeing of those who have shared a similar journey. Deciding to organise the protests, Melbourne For Iran, has come at a cost, though.
“It’s immensely stressful — emotionally, mentally and physically,” she says. “I’m still working and it’s hard to say to my employer I need a day off because of the mental toll everything is taking on me. Many of us in the Iranian community across the world still have family and friends in Iran who are risking their lives every day. We get very limited time to speak and connect with them, and it’s becoming increasingly risky for them to keep in touch.”
Speaking with Mona and Mahla, they both raise a point that hits me hard: how the West has become desensitised to the violence and plight of communities — especially women — across the Middle East. There is a sense this is something happening “over there” and has nothing to do with the communities we exist in daily. For many Iranian refugees, however, making it to Australia is just the first hurdle.
“This is a very significant issue that directly impacts people within our communities here in Australia,” says Patrick O’Connor, principal lawyer and CEO of the Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service. “We assist clients who’ve been in Australia for more than 10 years, who have been found to be genuine refugees in need of asylum, but they’re only granted temporary protection visas. Every five years they relive the trauma of their experiences to reapply. They live with the stress and fear their application could be rejected and they’ll be sent back to a country where they’ll likely face persecution.”
The Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service is one of many similar small NGOs across Australia providing free representation for refugees, asylum seekers and their family members to help them remain in Australia. If a refugee has entered Australia without
a valid visa, they are only eligible to apply for Temporary Protection (TPV) or Safe Haven Enterprise (SHEV) visas. As the law stands currently, they cannot apply for a Permanent Protection visa.
“The situation in Iran dramatically impacts female clients. There are more than 50,000 Iranians in Australia and many are still waiting for citizenship. The anxiety of not knowing whether they’ll be sent back is on their mind every day; I see it with many clients,” says Patrick. “You can’t imagine the stress this creates in a person’s life. The law needs to change so people can be granted permanent protection — this is more urgent now than ever in light of current events.”
According to the Oslo-based non-profit Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at the time of writing, over 250 people have died and over 15,000 have been detained since the protests began in September, but internal reports say the number is likely much higher, with many more people missing. At the time of writing, Iran’s judiciary had announced that 1,024 indictments had been issued in relation to the protests in Tehran alone. According to Amnesty International, the Tehran court had issued three death sentences to people involved in anti-government protests, with the likelihood of many more being issued in the coming weeks. There is no telling how this will play out currently, but the history of the regime doesn’t paint a positive picture.
The number of protestors at risk include dozens of young people, teenagers and activists who have taken to the streets to protest. Many of them are young women who are defiantly removing their hijabs, cutting their hair and cutting up their Islamic Republic passports.
“These women — these teenagers — they’re the same as any teenager here in Australia; listening and dancing to the same music, interested in the same things, the same joys. The difference is they’re not free,” says Mona. “It’s such a brave generation and the generation here, in Australia, can be their voice. We can stand together and help set them free.”
I ask Mahla what Australians can do to make a difference for her and other Iranian women taking on this battle.
“I want to ask non-Iranians to look after the Iranian people in their communities. Emotionally and mentally, we are not doing well; we’re going through a lot,” she says. “The smallest gestures can make a huge difference to us and our families. Even just using the hashtags and sharing our posts. Don’t think it won’t make a difference. It makes an incredible difference — you’re our voice. Please continue to help us amplify our message.”
Limiting internet access and preventing citizens from accessing social media and internet use for communication is a tactic long used by the Islamic Republic to isolate and control the community. Speaking with Mona and Mahla about what people can do to help, the overwhelming message is clear: Be Our Voice.
“There is always fear when you talk about dictatorship, but our anger is much greater than our fear. Our hope is much bigger than all of it,” says Mona. “We need everyone to show solidarity — we are sisters worldwide. Share what is happening, write to your members of parliament, write to senators, ask them to speak up and stop shaking hands with the Islamic Republic. We want our democracy and we are going to get it. We want our country to be free. To achieve this, we need the world to help us.”
How you can help
Mona, Mahla and Patrick shared their advice on how we can all show solidarity with the Iranian community:
Attend the protests: If you’re able to, attend the protests in your local area and show your support. Consider donating to help with the costs of organising and running the protests where you can. “The Greek community here held a fundraising event to help us get the materials we need for the protests — these things are so important for us right now so we can keep this going,” says Mahla.
Write to local government officials: Ask them what they’re doing to support Iranians and how they’re helping Iranian refugees who need permanent protection now. “They’re often more responsive than you realise and the more people who speak up, the more they have to respond. I’ve seen it make a difference,” says Patrick.
Share posts on social media and use the hashtags: “People can follow @melbourneforiran on Instagram and show their support by sharing our messages,” says Mahla. “We’d also love to see, and desperately need, more media coverage from local news outlets.”
Sign the Petition: Petition EN4559 calls for the expulsion of the Islamic Republic of Iran ambassador, sanction IRGC, and can be signed by all Australian citizens: aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN4559/sign
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and psychologist-in-training, currently residing in Nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is fascinated by the ways we learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and the power of storytelling. You can find more of her words online at wordswithelaine.com
