SARYA DENİZ

News Center- Pain, killing, torture and execution… These “key” words summarize what has been recently going on in Iran, especially for women. Despite these, the great wall of fear was broken down in the country two years ago. Two years ago, women chanted the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” slogan, echoing all around the world. The killing of Jina Mahsa Amini sparked a revolution and a common struggle all over the world.

The “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” uprising, or revolution led by women did not start overnight; the death of Jina was the last straw for women.

Sakine Cansız sheds light on today

Sakine Cansız (Sara), one of the founders of the PKK and pioneers of the Kurdish Women's Movement who was murdered in Paris on January 9, 2013, told what has been going on in Iran years ago. In order to understand Iran and women living in Iran, you should read the interview conducted with Sakine Cansız at the 3rd Conference of the Eastern Kurdistan Women's Union (Kurdish: Yekîtiya Jinên Rojhilatê Kurdistan, YJRK) on April 4, 2011 because she sheds light on what has been going on in Iran today.

 ‘A step for freedom in itself’

“Women have no other friends than the ideology of freedom,” Sakine Cansız said during the interview.

“Every departure from Rojhilat, every departure from Maku, Urmia, Sanandaj, Hawraman, every arrival of a female comrade is a step for freedom, a revolution in itself. Why? Because the system in Rojhilat, Iran and in the Middle East has turned into a strict system in the person of Iran. The regime in Iran has politicized and nationalized religion through the model of the nation-state. The mindset of the state, the mindset of that regime, has seen every social development and the values of people as a threat against it.1

‘Humanity ends here’

The response to the Iranian state can only be given by an organized women's stance, Sakine Cansız indicated, mentioning the death penalty in Iran.

“What would the soul of such a system be like? What would the soul of a child be like in such a system, what would the soul of a man be like in such a system? Think about it. In such a system, do men have any humanity, love or emotion? No, nothing is left behind. Nothing about humanity is left behind and what happens when this is expanded and developed? A societal collapse starts or is started in this way. It is important to change this reality, to change the reality of such society and the regime. People just watch the executions; they just watch while people are executed. Humanity ends here.”

In the interview, Sakine Cansız says that Rojhilat should start a strong uprising, stressing that women have a strong will to ensure freedom for everyone. Their strong will, fueled by the killing of the Kurdish woman Jina Amini, started the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” revolution that spread all around the world, including Afghanistan, India and Türkiye.

Jina Mahsa Amini was a Kurdish woman, who was arrested and killed by Iran’s so-called “morality police”.

Jina Amini was born in Rojhilat on September 21, 1999. Her family called her “Jina” which means “life” in Kurdish. Mahsa was her official Persian given name because the Iranian state bans non-Islamic and non-Persian names. Jina Mahsa Amini was known as a quiet and ambitious person by her friends. If she had not been killed, she would have gone to university at the end of 2022. Going to university is an important step for many women and girls in the country.

On September 16, 2022, Jina Mahsa Amini was killed by Iran’s so-called “morality police” in Tehran for “improperly wearing the hijab”. She was devoted to her Kurdish identity and culture. She always preserved her culture by wearing Kurdish traditional clothes. She was arrested as Jina and killed as a Kurdish woman. A popular uprising started in the country following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini.

 The uprising united women all around the world

Women chanting the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (English: Woman, Life, Freedom)” echoed in the streets of the world. The protests that sparked in Iran spread all around the world. Women, including athletes, artists, intellectuals, politicians, directors chanted the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” slogan to support the demands of Iranian women and demand freedom and equality for themselves.

The Iranian state has used all methods to suppress the uprising

The Iranian state has used all barbaric methods to suppress the uprising led by women, arresting thousands of people, sending hundreds to prison. The regime has targeted women the most because they lead the uprising. Hundreds were killed by Iranian security forces in the protests. Hundreds of women have been subjected to violence, torture and rape in detention. The regime tried to poison female students, who supported the uprising. Since September 2022, More than 700 students have been arrested by security forces. at least 3,953 women were arrested between March 9, 2022 and March 7, 2023, according to human rights defenders. In 2023, 21 women were executed in the country.

 Two women sentenced to death

Iranian women have been arrested, summoned to testify or detained for supporting the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ revolution. In recent months, the Iranian regime has targeted journalists, students, artists and human rights defenders for supporting the revolution. The Iranian state has been waging a war against women to break their strong will and stop the uprising from spreading all around the world. In July 2024, two women were sentenced to death in the country. On July 4, Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, to death on a charge of “armed rebellion against the state,” based on an alleged membership in an opposition group. On July 23, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner and journalist, to death for alleged membership in opposition groups.

‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ becomes a global slogan

The “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” slogan has become the slogan of the World Democratic Women's Confederalism. On August 9, 2024, a 31-year-old female trainee doctor was raped and killed in a seminar room on campus at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The incident sparked protests across the country. On August 16, thousands of women flocked to the streets to protest the incident holding banners reading, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”. Afghan women keep taking to the streets by risking their lives. The “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”, which was first mentioned by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, has become a global slogan for women demanding freedom, justice and equality.