The Mahsa Amini Backdrop
The Iranian woman’s move and her subsequent detention have played out against the growing resistance in Iran to the strict dress code for women. Earlier, in 2022, nationwide protests had erupted in the country after an Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Hamini, died after she was arrested for an alleged breach of the dress code. The protests saw women remove their headscarves and burn them. Thousands were arrested and over 500 protesters were killed as the authorities cracked down hard on the agitation.
Hossein Ronaghi, a prominent Iranian activist who was jailed during the protests, has now praised the “bravery” of the student seen in the video. “The symbolic and protest movement of the research science student is a revolt against government repression; A cry from the bottom of the heart against the oppression that has taken life from people, especially women,” he said in a post on X.
