Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, in Iran’s Kurdistan region. In September 2022, she was arrested by Iran’s “morality police” for supposedly not wearing her hijab properly. Only three days later, she died in their custody. Her family and witnesses said she was beaten, but the authorities tried to hide the truth.
Her death shocked the world and started a wave of protests across Iran and beyond. People went to the streets shouting the Kurdish slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” — meaning “Women, Life, Freedom.”
Mahsa’s Kurdish identity made her story even more powerful, because it showed how Iran’s government not only controls women but also targets ethnic minorities like the Kurds. Her death became a symbol of resistance, showing that the Iranian regime kills and punishes people simply for being free and speaking the truth.
