Woman, Life, Freedom movement

The Women, Life, Freedom movement is a protest movement launched in Iran in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish 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. The incident sparked outrage in Iran, where anger toward the government had already been flaring, and ignited a sustained and widespread protest movement.

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. For months the protests offered hope for meaningful change. Women appeared frequently in public without wearing the mandatory headscarves, the Gasht-e Ershad had seemingly vanished, and rumours swirled that the government might scrap the head covering requirement altogether. The movement has also gained international support and recognition, and has been awarded the 2023 Freedom Award by Freedom House.