SARAH KARIMI

Mahabad- Since the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” protests that sparked in Iran following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022 by Iran’s so-called “morality police”, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been intensifying its crackdown on dissent through a wave of arrests, torture, executions and heavy prison sentences. Despite the intensified crackdown, women in the country keep struggling against all kinds of patriarchal policies and laws in all facets of life, especially in prisons.

‘Women struggle much more consciously than before’

 “Hundreds of women like Narges Mohammadi and Zeynab Jalalian have been imprisoned by Islamic Republic of Iran for struggling against gender discrimination,” said Delnia Karimpour, a Kurdish student in Mahabad, commenting on the crackdown on women by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian regime sentenced Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi to death, aiming at intimidating women. Despite all the oppressive policies of the regime, women have strengthened their struggle. We struggle more against the heavy prison sentences. The government should know very well that women struggle much more consciously than before.”

‘We will continue to struggle against oppression’

Sana M., a women’s rights activist in Mahabad, condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for sentencing labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi and journalist Pakhshan Azizi to death. “The aim of the regime is to weaken society and intimidate women because it knows very well that women's struggle will shake the foundations of its system. Therefore, the regime has used death sentences against women to silence them since the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ uprising. We will continue to struggle against oppression.”