More than 100 Irainian-Sudburians and their supporters lined Paris Street across from Bell Park on Oct. 1 to protest what is being called the brutal murder of Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini.
An act that protest organizers told Sudbury.com has become a movement for resistance against “the 44-year rule of the religious dictatorship regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran, that has no other means of survival but brutality, persecution, tyranny, murder and corruption.”
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in protest since the death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was apprehended in Tehran and taken to a “re-education centre,” apparently for “not wearing her hijab properly.”
Over the last week, demonstrations have taken place nationwide, including the capital Tehran, with protesters demanding an end to violence and discrimination against women as well as an end to compulsory wearing of the hijab.
Most of the protesters in Sudbury feared retribution against their loved ones still living in Iran. Many protested, but hid their faces with signs or masks and refused to go on record.
One of the organizers told Sudbury.com the Islamic Republic of Iran, the government in place in Iran for the last 44 years, “can hunt you anywhere in the world.”
She said the reason that the group held their protest is the death of Amini.
“The story is about a girl who has been arrested and killed in custody of hijab police,” said the organizer. “We have morality police in our country, which is ridiculous in the 21st century. They can grab you on the street and throw you in their vans, and do whatever they want.”
She said the police are not required to follow standard procedure during arrests, and those who are taken are “not even to jails or places that people know; you are just just gone, you disappear.”
The organizer said that at one time, Iran was a country of democracy, a place where compulsory adherence to Islamic law was non-existent.
Previous to the current government, Iran was a constitutional monarchy, a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision-making. Their powers and authorities are within limits prescribed by an established legal framework.
But then, in early 1978, there was regime change.
Currently, there is a supreme leader in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a lifetime post.
There is also a president, the head of government. The president is the highest elected official in Iran, although the president answers to the supreme leader, who functions as the country's head of state.
Iran is also the seat of terrorism in the Middle East and a government that has little care nor obligation to its people, said the organizer.
“We are not receiving support from European countries, especially because they all want oil,” the organizer said. “And the mullahs (Islamic ‘lords’ or rulers) are free to sell every resource that our country has, almost free, because they want to stay in power,” meaning that so long as the current government remains in power, they will care little for the people of Iran.
“We do not receive the support that any other country would receive in such a situation. Because of this oil that we have, or people are suffering, and it's like almost no one cares. And this is what Iranian people in foreign countries are doing. They are trying to draw attention to the situation in Iran, especially for foreign countries so that people would ask their governments to be active in solving the crisis.”
Amir Zolfaghari, who has been in Sudbury since January 2020, was willing to go on record for the cause.
“It's 40 years that people are unsatisfied at having a government that is pushing Islam and very strict rules against everyone,” he said. “Every day they are arresting a woman because of a hair out of place, or because of ‘improper’ wearing of the hijab.”
Zolfaghari said the “hijab police,” as they are colloquially known, maintain 22-year-old Amini died of a heart attack. They said she was found on the floor, was left in a coma and died two days later on Sept. 16.
However, the other women she was held with, and leaked medical records that have come to light show that Amini died of blunt force trauma, confirmed by the family when her body was returned to them.
“It's not a heart attack,” said Zolfaghari. “It's because of the beatings, it's clear that she was murdered.”
Since the protests in Iran began, the government has shut down internet access and has blocked social media such as Instagram and WhatsApp. According to the non-partisan and non-profit Centre for Human Rights in Iran, there are reports of more than 30 people killed in the protests and least 25 reporters are among the hundreds of people who’ve been arrested by state security forces.
The organizer of the event told Sudbury.com they want the world to know what is happening in Iran, so that countries will stop negotiating with its government. “They (the government) are not representing us. The Iranian people are hostages, we have been their hostages for 40 years,” she said. “When you negotiate with them they promise you oil and everything that we have, but they do not represent the Iranian people. You have to stop considering them as a lawful government because they are not.”
At the event, organizers read a statement of purpose.
“A 22-year-old Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini was brutally murdered by the so-called ‘morality police’ on Sept. 16, for not wearing a “Hijab” properly in Tehran, which sparked a remarkable moment of defiance by Iranian women and men,” the statement reads.
“Mahsa Amini’s name has become a code word for resistance, and the Iranian people are expressing their indignation and anger against the 44-year rule of the religious dictatorship regime, that has no other means of survival but, brutality, persecution, tyranny, murder, and corruption.”
The statement notes that while there is only a small group of Iranian-Canadians in Sudbury, “Canadians are famous for supporting gender equality and women’s rights.”
They ask that Canadians contact their members of parliament to ask them to impose sanctions, and to condemn the violent actions of the “Islamic Republic.”
“We ask you to join the Iranian people in their call for freedom. We ask you to stand on the right side of history and join the Iranian people’s call for an end to the Islamic Republic regime,” the statement continues.
“We ask you to use your voice to condemn, in no uncertain terms, the barbaric actions of the regime. We ask you to stand with the Iranian people who chant on every street “Women, life, freedom.”
They close with thanks to their adopted community.
“The Iranian community and especially Iranian women, here in Sudbury and around the world, would greatly appreciate your support of women’s rights.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com. She covers the diverse communities of Sudbury, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, including the Black, Indigenous, newcomer and Francophone communities, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ and issues of the downtown core.
