After Mahsa: Human Rights in Iran

On September 16, three days after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating regulations governing the use of the hijab, a 22-year-old Iranian woman from the Kurdish minority died in hospital after collapsing in a detention centre. Mahsa Amini’s death prompted massive waves of protests across the country, with many calling for political change. Women and youth lead the charge as they chanted “woman, life and freedom.” As Professor Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran has put it, “Conditions that led to the death of Amini could no longer be tolerated and the violation of the fundamental right, for women, to speak and dress freely seemed more urgent than ever. The barrier of fear had been overcome and a movement was born.” The protests have been met by a brutal crackdown by Iranian authorities.

In March 2023, UNSR Javaid Rehman…