The UC Davis Human Rights Studies Program stands in solidarity with the people of Iran as many have taken to streets in protest of the death in custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, Zhina Mahsa Amini. She was arrested and beaten by members of Iran’s Gašt-e Eršād or Guidance Patrol, more commonly called, the “morality police” for allegedly wearing her hijab — a legally required headscarf — improperly.

Her death has been a catalyst for protests, in which many young, college-age women have been at the forefront.  These protests are not just about Zhina Mahsa Amini, but are also in response to decades of oppression, a culture of impunity, and rampant corruption. The Iranian people have had enough and we stand beside them as they demand their rights and a better life for themselves and their children.

To quote Human Rights Watch:

Iranian authorities continue to repress their own people. The country’s security and intelligence apparatus, in partnership with Iran’s judiciary, harshly cracked down on dissent, including through excessive and lethal force against protesters and reported abuse and torture in detention. Impunity remains rampant and Ebrahim Raeesi, a serial human rights violator, took over the presidency in unfair and unfree elections.

The suppression of women’s rights in Iran is coming to light through these protests and we mark the courage of young Iranian women publicly challenging the régime through acts of nonviolent protest including burning their headscarves and cutting their hair. The crackdown on women activists has been especially brutal in Kurdish-dominated regions of the country. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, in the last week alone 8 leading Kurdish women’s rights activists have been arrested or detained by security forces and are being held in undisclosed locations. In addition, Iranian security forces have killed 12 protestors, injured 375 and arrested 530 in Iranian Kurdistan.

As university students, journalists, researchers and human and women’s activists are increasingly targeted by the régime, we encourage them to take advantage of the UC Davis Article 26 Backpack to safely store their academic records, research, and professional credentials. Backpack is available in Persian, English, Arabic; many hundreds of Afghans used it for a similar purpose at the time of the fall of their country to the Taliban.

For more information on Backpack