Two years after the Iranian regime’s security forces killed Mahsa Amini, the people of Iran mark the anniversary of that fateful event that marked the beginning of a nationwide uprising that lasted for several months.
Merchants in several cities marked the event by going on strike. Videos from Saqqez, Sanandaj, Oshnavieh, Kermanshah, Marivan, and Piranshahr show lines of closed shops as people honor the 2022 uprising and its martyrs.
September 15—Piranshahr, northwest Iran
Widespread strikes on the second anniversary of the 2022 nationwide uprising. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/zC24ikL0gL— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 15, 2024
Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old woman from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, western Iran, who traveled to Tehran with her family, was arrested on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at the entry of Haqqani Highway by the regime’s so-called “Guidance Patrol” and transferred to the “Moral Security” agency.
Protesting her arrest, Amini was severely beaten by the security forces. She later lost consciousness due to her wounds and was transferred to the capital’s Kasra Hospital, where she entered a state of coma that continued until her death on September 16.
September 15—Sanandaj, western Iran
Widespread strikes on the second anniversary of the 2022 nationwide uprising.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/jDMZTadezh— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 15, 2024
Amini’s death triggered protests in Tehran, her hometown Saqqez and other cities. The protests quickly turned into a nationwide movement against the regime’s repression of freedoms. Protesters called for the overthrow of the regime.
The regime responded with repression and violence, arresting, beating and killing protesters. More than 750 protesters were murdered by security forces and several thousand were arrested. Many of the protesters lost one or both eyes after being shot in the face with pellet guns by security forces. The regime has since executed nine protesters who were involved in the protests and several others are still under the threat of being executed. Nonetheless, the protests continued for several months.
On the anniversary of Amini’s murder, security forces blocked access to the Aychi cemetery in Saqqez, where she is buried. They also prevented her parents from leaving their home to prevent any kind of assembly and protest movement.
But the regime’s repressive measures did not prevent the people from commemorating Mahsa and other martyrs of the 2022 uprising.
At the same time, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance marked the anniversary of the 2022 protests with rallies across the world. In their demonstrations, they commemorated the martyrs of the uprising and called for accountability for the regime’s crimes against humanity.
Rallies were held in London, Geneva, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Cologne, Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and several other cities.
3-#Oslo, #Norway—September 14, 2024: Freedom-Loving Iranians and #MEK Supporters Held a Rally to Mark the 2nd Anniversary of the 2022 Nationwide Uprising, in Solidarity With the #IranRevolution.#Iran #No2ShahNo2Mullahs #FreeIran2024 pic.twitter.com/kDaGHxcVSi
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) September 15, 2024
In a message on the second anniversary of the 2022 uprising, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said, “This uprising vividly demonstrated that the regime was on the brink of collapse and loudly proclaimed that no form of dictatorship, under any name, has a place in Iran.”