News Center- In Turkey, women took to the streets of Istanbul, Ankara and Adana to protest the killing of Mahsa Amini in Tehran by the Iranian regime.

Istanbul

Women gathered in front of the Consulate General of Iran in Istanbul’s Cağaloğlu neighborhood upon the call of Women are Strong Together (Kadınlar Birlikte Güçlü-KGB). Many politicians, representatives of women’s organizations and Iranian women living in Istanbul attended the rally. Holding the photographs of Mahsa Amini, the women cut their hair by chanting slogans in Kurdish, Turkish, Persian and English such as “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom)”, “The killer is the Mullah regime”, “Iranian women’s struggle for freedom is our struggle” and “We are all Mahsa Amini”.

“Women’s struggle will continue”

Making a speech at the rally, an Iranian woman drew attention to the importance of solidarity and protests after the killing of Mahsa Amini. Pointing out that the Iranian regime tries to cover the killing of Mahsa Amini by saying, “She had a heart attack”, the Iranian woman said that women’s struggle will continue. After her speech, she cut her hair in solidarity with women in Iran.

Rüya Kurtuluş also made a speech at the rally on behalf of the KGB. Drawing attention to the protests in Iran and Rojhelat (Western Kurdistan), she said, “Another woman was killed by state violence for rejecting the limits imposed on her. Mahsa was forcibly detained by the morality police for improperly wearing the hijab. Mahsa Amini was killed by Iranian police. The killing of Mahsa Amini is the result of 43 years of religious and misogynistic policies in Iran.”

“The killer of Mahsa is the male-dominant mentality”

Pointing to the importance of the resistance against the Iranian misogynist regime, particularly the struggle against the compulsory hijab in Iran, Rüya Kurtuluş said, “The struggle against the compulsory hijab has become a symbol of women's struggle against the patriarchal and misogynistic regime. A familiar slogan rises from the streets of Iran today: ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’. We are the voices of Iranian women from Turkey. The killer of Mahsa Amini is the Iranian Mullah regime. The killer of Mahsa is the male-dominant mentality.”

The rally ended after women chanted slogans against the Iranian regime.

Ankara

A rally was held by the Ankara Women’s Platform in Ankara’s Yüksel Avenue. While Zeynep Ülger from Karala Magazine was making a speech, police tried to stop her speech. The women responded to the police intervention by chanting slogans.  “Another woman was killed by state violence for rejecting the limits imposed on her. Mahsa was declared 'immoral' for not complying with the hijab law and was killed by Iran's reactionary fascist regime forces. Rising up against the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian regime is to resist the war waged by the AKP-MHP government against women and LGBTI+s. Women’s solidarity is without borders.”

Adana

Adana Women’s Platform members gathered in Adana’s Heykelli Park and released a statement condemning the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian regime. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Adana MP Tülay Hatimoğulları and many women supported the members of the platform.

“This fire will burn everywhere”

An Iranian woman named Masha Nasimdoust made a speech and said, “Mahsa did not die; she was killed. If I am here today, it is because of the pain, violence and torture caused by the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Islamic Republic of Iran should know that we hate them, we don't want compulsory hijab, we don't want compulsory Islam and heaven. You are killers. You have killed many of our sisters. You should know that we women all over the world are one and we are not afraid of you. This fire will burn everywhere.”

After her speech, Masha Nasimdoust cut her hair in protest against the practices of the Iranian regime.