Imagine living in a place where it is illegal to let your hair blow in the wind. This is the reality for all women in Iran. A 22-year-old woman by the name of Mahsa Amini was brutally murdered by police for not correctly wearing her hijab. Since then, citizens have taken to the street to protest for their rights. 

According to Iran Human Rights, so far 104 people have been killed at protests by security forces. 66 of these deaths all occured on the same day, September 30, which is now being referred to as “Bloody Friday.” People are shaving their heads in the streets and women are walking around with no hijabs, a huge sign of rebellion in Iran. Even young girls in high schools are protesting for their rights by wearing their long hair out while at school.

According to NPR, On September 13, a 22 year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, was out in Tehran–the capital of Iran–with her family. Mahsa was arrested by the “morality police” for being “improperly veiled.” Her family was told that she would be taken to a mandatory “briefing class” and released an hour after. Two hours later, she was in the morgue, after being tortured, insulted, and beaten to death. The Iranian government immediately began to cover up their tracks, even going as far to publicly state that the reason for Mahsa’s death was related to a “brain tumor operation” that Mahsa had at the age of 5. Her family confirmed that Mahsa had never had any type of sickness that even landed her in the hospital. This is just one example of a young woman’s life being taken due to the Iranian government’s rule of terror over them.

In Iran, it is not safe for women to freely walk the streets without being harassed by a man. In the 1970s, women in Iran dressed just as women in America did, according to Business Insider. They all sported the latest hairstyles, cute mini-skirts, and tube tops. They wore makeup, hung out at the beaches in bikinis, and were able to hangout in groups of girls and go where they pleased. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution  happened, which toppled the foundation of Iran as everyone knew it and sent women’s rights spiraling down into what it is now according to Britannica.

As reported by Human Rights Watch, Iranian officers have been constantly using unlawful amounts of  force to ward off the protests that are breaking out across the country. In videos seen on platforms such as TikTok, Iranian cops are seen shooting into windows of homes for no reason other than the owner of the home looking out of the window.Even if it is a child who is peeking from behind the curtain, they aim and shoot with no hesitation. Nobody is safe, even those who are not protesting out in the streets.

There has been little to no news coverage in America about what is going on in Iran. Iran needs everybody’s help, support, and most importantly, for everyone to spread the word. Iranians are being left stranded, with no internet sources to share what is happening to them to the outside world. Rest in peace to all of the young women who have brutally had their lives taken from them, all for the hope of freedom for generations of women to come.