13. Death of Mahsa Amini sparks global outrage and protests

The protest was planned by the Guelph Iranian Student Association and included speeches from Moazzen, as well as guided chanting against the Islamic regime. CREDIT: PIXABAY

TAYLOR PIPE

Days after being arrested by Iranian authorities in Tehran, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in custody on Sept. 16. The alleged crime? Wearing her headscarf too loosely.

Although the Iranian authorities say she suffered from a heart attack while in custody, many in Iran and across the world believe this is not the case.

According to the Associated Press, Amini was seen being beaten by police in a patrol car and was reported to have had a fractured skull during her autopsy.

The death of Amini has sparked international outrage as well as local and international protests in support of the Iranian people.

In Tehran, a protest was held at Sharif University of Technology, which is often referred to as “Iran’s MIT.” The protest ended with rounds of tear gas being used to disperse crowds and plainclothes officers detaining 300 students, according to Global News.

Accounts from the protest tell the story of students being corralled into an underground parking lot where they were met with excessive force from Iranian authorities and shot by paintball guns.

“I had a panic attack that night. I imagined that it was me there and they were confining me and beating me and arresting me,” said Alya, whose name has been changed for her safety.

Alya is an international student at the University of Guelph who was born and raised in Iran and attended Sharif University before coming to Canada to pursue higher education. She spoke

with The Ontarion about the brutality that is occuring in her home country and at her alma mater.

“I was thinking about the students that had just come to campus,” she said. “I remember myself when I started college. We were so young and we didn't have any experience. Everything was new and I imagined how these people can be so inhumane, you know, to beat students on the first or second day of school.”

Alya said that when the attacks happened, her family in Iran lost access to the internet and she was unable to speak to them for a month. She’s since been able to contact her loved ones through their landline, or on skype.

“I have a subscription on Skype, and I just called or used my subscription to talk with my mom on the phone, but I couldn't see them on video,” she said.

Alya also said that as an international student, she feels very frustrated.

“Honestly, it's so difficult,” she said. “I'm just trying to survive. But every day I’m here I check the news and it’s all very, very sad news.”

Many international and Ca-

nadian students shared Alya’’s feelings when they learned of the happenings in Iran and held their own protest in Branion Plaza on Oct. 6.

Mahsaan Moazzen helped plan the protest on campus that allowed campus community members to come together and show support for the Iranian people.

Moazzen stressed that the protest was not against the Islamic religion, but against a regime led by the Iranian government that’s rooted in extremism.

“What we’re asking for is freedom of choice,” Moazzen said. “This is not Iran versus a religion. It’s Iran versus the Islamic public regime. Iranian women - it doesn’t matter if they want to wear a hijab or not, all they want is the freedom of choice and freedom of speech.”

She said she hoped the protest was a chance for the community to come together and grieve but also stand against the Islamic public regime.

The campus protest was organized by the Guelph Islamic Student Association, (GISA).

In a statement, GISA said, “Academia is an environment that should be free from any sort of violence and oppression. Freedom of expression and thought should be the fundamental pillars of any institute of higher education. The lack of which defeats the entire purpose of higher learning and academia. The unwavering courage of Iranian students, teachers, and scholars in resisting state repression is commendable.”

During the protest, Moazzen brought up the brutal death of a high school student, Nika Shakarami. Shakarami was 16 and went missing on Sept. 20. According to the BBC, Shakarami’s family was forced to lie on camera about the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Norway-based Non-governmental Organization for Iran has estimated that as of Oct. 17 at least 215 people, including 27 children have been killed by security forces during the protests in Iran.

“The students are being arrested and beaten and, you know, we don't know what happened to many of them,” Alya said. “So, I don't know how the university or the world can protect these defenseless students… But it's very scary that we are living in a world where students are beaten to death.”

Alya mentioned other deaths, including a fire in a prison that was holding social justice advocates. Four people are estimated to have died in the first at Evin prison in Tehran on Oct. 16. According to Bloomberg, the fire erupted in a sewing warehouse and was sparked when a conflict arose between inmates and guards about the protests in support of Mahsa Amini.

Alya said that she’s glad the protests are getting international attention as she feels it's an important issue that needs to be brought to light, not just for her country, but for other countries too.

"wI think [Iranians] are suffering a lot and they are trying a lot,” she said. “They are risking their lives with a very strong slogan, ‘Woman. Life. Freedom.’ And I think it's very inspiring for many people all around the world. These three words… Not just for women in my country. We even have some inequalities maybe here in Canada about women.”

However, Alya did say there is quite the contrast between human rights in Iran and North America.

“In Iran, honestly, there is very systematic brutality against women,” Alya said. “Every day, they don't have equal rights to men, and they have to fight for very, very basic rights. Even if we have very, very highly educated girls in Iran. They are working, they are independent, but they don't have very basic human rights.”

She stressed, like Moazzen, that the protests aren’t against Islam, they are protests fighting for the right to choose.

“They want to have freedom of choice and they want to choose their own lifestyle and their own interests because many people don't believe in [wearing a] hijab or many other things, but they have to follow it,” she said. “So, it's not the lifestyle of many people living there. It's not anti-Islam. They say that. But we say that everyone can choose their own beliefs and their own lifestyle.”

Alya said she’s honoured to give the people suffering in Iran a voice. She added that the best way to be involved and show support is to spread awareness of the injustice occurring.

“It's very important, because when the government and police see that the world is watching, they might reconsider their bru-

Mahsaan Moazzen stressed that the global protests aren’t against the Islamic religion, they are against the Islamic Regime. CREDIT: TAYLOR PIPE

tal behavior, they might be a little bit more respectful with human rights, and prevent or avoid brutal behavior against people protesting in Iran,” she said. “And I think it's very influential that the world knows.”

To learn more about the injustice occurring in Iran, and to find out ways to help, visit iranhumanrights.org.

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