Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died while under the morality police’s care, igniting nationwide protests and demonstrations that have been compared to some of the greatest unrest the country has experienced since street fights over water shortages last year.
Amini died last week after being arrested in Tehran for wearing “unsuitable attire”. She fell into a coma while in detention. The authorities have said they will launch an investigation into the cause of her death.
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Masha Amini protests are roiling in Iran
Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel winner and an advocate for the rights of girls to an education who herself experienced tyranny, has shown support for Amini.
Malala emphasized a woman’s right to privacy while condemning Amini’s death and the motivation behind it.
“Whatever a woman chooses to wear, she has the right to decide for herself. As I have said before: if someone forces me to cover my head, I will protest. If someone forces me to remove my scarf, I will protest,” said an Instagram story by Malala, containing Amini’s picture cut out.
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Meanwhile, Halsey shared, “‘My body, my choice’ is not a monolith reserved for women of the west. Every woman deserves the right to decide if the hijab is her path. Or if it is not.” Halsey said that while local media outlets in Tehran are reporting that Mahsa suffered a heart attack, “her family and activists are certain the death was caused by police brutality.” She added that the victim’s relatives are demanding the release of unaltered CCTV footage, depicting what truly happened. Halsey continued, “I am devastated about this news and what it means for the activists erupting across Iran in response to this tragedy.”
The singer concluded with, “There are two simple concepts at hand: It is the choice of the woman. And no woman deserves to die at the hands of law enforcement for her personal expression of faith or lack thereof. Mahsa Amini had no choice. Not even the choice to live or die. The world is mourning her with great force.”