During the 2009 Green Revolution protests, the most haunting and viral image was of 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan being shot and killed by Basij militia.
The most globally resounding image thus far from the latest round of protests in Iran has been a woman standing on a street corner perch waving a white headscarf on a stick instead of wearing the hijab.
#Tehran: This woman standing in a busy street WITHOUT her oppressive headscarf.
She’s waving a white shawl symbolising the latest Iranian women’s struggle against compulsory hijab
#IranProtests #Iran #IranianProtests pic.twitter.com/rMbPPJjuzM— Zippy (@princezip) December 30, 2017
More than 100,000 women took to the streets during the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protest the new regime’s declaration that wearing hijab would be mandatory.
100,000 Iranian women march against forced veiling in 1979, Islamist men shouted threats, several women were stabbedpic.twitter.com/CQf2s5OuiL
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) May 27, 2017
Protests have continued in various forms over the years, with 2017’s #WhiteWednesdays social media protest campaign that included stealthy videos of women walking the streets in Iran without a headscarf.
“If you respect the compulsory hijab, a discriminatory law, then you empower the government of Iran to put more pressure on women.”
Iranian activist Masih Alinejad opens up about why she started the #whitewednesdays campaign: pic.twitter.com/5UjMBYbouZ
— Atheist Republic (@AtheistRepublic) January 2, 2018
On Dec. 27, Tehran police leader Brig. Gen. Hossein Rahimi announced, “According to the commander of the NAJA [Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran], those who do not observe Islamic values and have negligence in this area will no longer be taken to detention centers, a legal case will not be made for them and we will not send them to court; rather, education classes to reform their behavior will be offered.”
At least 22 people have been killed across the country in the latest round of protests that began Thursday and swelled to the largest demonstrations since 2009. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said he’d have a more detailed address about the protests “at the right time,” charged today that “the enemies of Iran united by using different tools in their disposition, including money, weapons, politics and intelligence, in order to create problems for the Islamic system.”
Tehran authorities said more than 450 protesters had been arrested there over the past three days, as Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, vowed demonstrators against the regime would be harshly punished.
Still, Iranians protest for basic human rights — including fearless Iranian women.
Security forces attack protesting women #IranProtesters in Urmia, northwest #Iran#يحدث_الان_في_ايران#تظاهرات_سراسرى #HumanRights #IranProtest #IranProtests2017 pic.twitter.com/xt7tag53OE
— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) December 31, 2017
Brave Iranian women can be heard chanting “Dignified Iranians, support us” in this latest anti-regime protest in Khomeyni Shahr (#Iran‘s Isfahan Province) on Day 5 of nationwide #IranProtests for a #FreeIran. video sent out via the MEK network. #RegimeChange #No2Rouhani pic.twitter.com/0ah0tLaEDg
— M. Hanif Jazayeri (@HanifJazayeri) January 1, 2018
A brave woman in the city of #Kermanshah stands in the face of the Guardians of the Revolution #IRGC And slogans:
Death to #Khamenei#Iran #Protest #IranProtests #ایران #FreeIran #RegimeChange pic.twitter.com/Hcutl4RsJy— Arash Caviani (@arashcaviani) December 29, 2017
#Iran #Protest :A #brave #woman alone challenges the oppressive forces in #Mashhad
#ایران #مشهد pic.twitter.com/RTslXYV7v8— Sarah (@Rebellefamme) December 28, 2017
The guts of this woman. She’s refusing to leave protest & says: “I’d rather die right here”. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/UtOETM64oN
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) December 30, 2017
Woman riding a taxi in Tehran sees police beating protesters and voices her objection. The scared cab driver asks her to either be quiet or get out. She chooses to not be silent and exits the cab. Source @hra_news pic.twitter.com/pVGdV5vTnz
— Maryam Nayeb Yazdi (@maryamnayebyazd) December 30, 2017
Kurdish girl in #Iran writes “Death to dictator” on a wall.
City: Ilam
Cameraman whispers: “hurry, hurry.”#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/yrqKss0LLR— Armin Navabi (@ArminNavabi) December 31, 2017
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