Woman, Life, Freedom movement

The Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran is a protest movement launched in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a young Iranian woman who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. The movement demands the end of compulsory hijab laws and other forms of discrimination and oppression against women in Iran, which also aligns with greater freedom for political views and religious practice.
Women and men were taking to the streets all across Iran, outraged over the slew of social ills symbolized in Amini's death—the subjugation of women, the repression of minorities, religious chauvinism, police brutality, and government corruption. People began their own local groups, prominently "Neighbourhood Youth Alliance of Iran" and the "Covenant" and called others to action. As they came together, the slogan began to echo from one city to another, in Kurdish, Persian, Azeri, and Balochi: “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The movement has been met with brutal repression by the Iranian authorities, who have killed hundreds of protesters and arrested thousands more. The movement has also gained international support and recognition, and has been awarded the 2023 Freedom Award by Freedom House.
The slogan “women, life, freedom” has correlation with the Kurdish women's movement, which has been fighting for women's rights and autonomy in the region for decades. The slogan expresses the idea that women's rights are essential for life and liberty, and that women should have the freedom to choose their own way of dressing, living, and participating in society. The slogan is also known as "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" in Kurdish and "Zan, Zendegī, Āzādī" in Persian.
The Women, Life, Freedom movement is a protest slogan that affirms that the rights of women. It is best known in English-language media for its use in the context of Iran and murder of Mahsa Amini. The slogan originated in Kurdish women's rights movements.
Mahsa (Jina) Amini, who was a 22-year-old at the time was held and then killed by the Iran's morality police for allegedly wearing the mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely. Women and girls living under the regime of the Islamic Republic, have always lived in extreme structural systems designed to oppress them. Women life freedom is a campaign seeking to expand the set of moral, political, and legal tools available to mobilize international action against and ultimately end the regime that are oppressing women because of their gender. In September 2022, protesters in Iran and abroad adopted the slogan after Zhina Mahsa Amini died while in custody for "improper" attire. The death of Amini, a 22-year-old Sunni woman from Iran's Kurdish community, was a reflection of the escalating and unrelenting authoritarianism of the Iranian regime at a time of deepening economic instability. The song "The Air of Freedom," featuring lyrics by Fatemeh Dogoharani, performed by Parastoo Ahmadi and released in June 2023, is a tribute to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement.
The movement has created an irreversible social resistance among the young generation of Iran, which believes women's rights to be the primary milestone for changing their future and a symbol to resist the corrupt influence of the government administration in creating poverty, insecurity, and unemployment. On May 28, 2024, the city of Los Angeles proclaimed September 16 of every year to be named Mahsa Day and also they have voted to have an intersection in Westwood to be called Women, Life, Freedom Square. People all over the world have been rallying in order to gain recognition for what the Iranian government has been doing and the actions that have caused this tragedy. There was a rally in Germany where over 100,000 people showed up as well as in Washington and in Los Angeles.
The Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran is still active as of October 2023, despite the harsh repression by the Iranian authorities.
After the Islamic Republic censored the social media of "the Covenant" and "Neighborhood youth alliance", leadership of the movement shifted to a coalition of Iranian opposition leaders, including the crown prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi. They disseminated their messages primarily through TV channels like the BBC. However, despite their efforts, the movement eventually collapsed.
In 2023, Shervin Hajipour won a new Social Merit Award for the best protest song due to him singing "Baraye," during the Mahsa movement. US first lady Jill Biden presented the award at the 2023 Grammy Awards. This award is now presented annually, in the name of activist musician Harry Belafonte.
One of the attorneys behind this submission of Shervin's song was Katy Amiri-Younesi Esq. and later on, with Taylor Hansen collaboration they have put together a project called "The Voices Project." Katy and Taylor managed to have 16,000 voices singing the chorus for the new version of "Baraye," in support of this movement.
The movement was awarded the 2023 Freedom Award by Freedom House and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, both in October 2023.