16th of September 2023, is one year anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Zhina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died, while in the custody of the Iranian regime’s Morality Police. She was arrested for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code for women.

Since her murder, brave women and men in Iran have been laying their lives protesting the prevalent discriminatory laws against women and have been demanding freedom. Over 500 hundred protesters were killed with some being children and more than 20,000 people were arrested. Systematic torture and sexual violation of those arrested, and alarming intimidation tactics used against them and their families, have been fully documented by the prominent human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Some of the young protesters have been executed with more on the execution row, all for demanding basic freedom of choice, equality and to be treated with respect and dignity.

Women face discrimination in every aspect of life including marriage, divorce, employment, travel, political office and must follow strict dress code and mandatory hijab. They are second class citizens in the eye of the regime and its supporters. As with all patriarchal systems around the world, this is not about religion, this is about control and patriarchy. Women in Iran, with the support of men, have risen against these harsh discriminatory laws and want freedom to choose what to wear and what to do.

Unfortunately the policing of women’s bodies and what they wear has intensified since the killing of Mahsa Zhina Amini with new more restrictive laws currently before Parliament which include heavy punishments for women who are arrested for allegedly breaching the enforced dress code and mandatory hijab laws. Examples of the recent brutalities against women are forcing them to wash bodies in morgues, preventing them from using public transport or health services, dis-allowing them to use cafes and restaurants, banning them from work places, imposing hefty monetary fines and much longer jail sentences.

Since her murder, we members of the Iranian-Kiwi community in Aotearoa New Zealand, have been doing everything in our power to amplify the voices of those who have been demanding basic freedom of choice and being brutally suppressed back home. We have had many marches, rallies, and other events across the country to raise awareness for the plight of women and people of Iran. That the ultimate equality for women is that they are respected for the decisions they make in terms of what they wear or what they do in life.

Women should have the freedom to choose whether to wear the hijab or not, a choice that must be respected globally, including in Aotearoa New Zealand and Iran. This choice embodies the essence of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" revolution in Iran.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we echo the voices of bravery coming from Iran despite the pressure and the threats towards us from the regime, its agents and sympathisers to keep quiet. We ask all those who believe in freedom of expression and choice to join us by condemning the systematic acts of cruelty of the Iranian regime against women and civilian population in Iran and to demand women to be respected for their choices and not to be told and forced what to wear and do. We ask those who believe in human rights to stand in solidarity with us as we continue our struggle for basic freedom and fundamental human rights.

© Scoop Media