Mahabad: Protest for Honor or Political Action?

The issue of the suicide or accidental fall of a young woman from the fourth-floor balcony of the Tara Hotel in Mahabad, and the subsequent street protests, deserves examination from various angles. While we do not know exactly what happened, we can analyze the general aspects of this incident based on two plausible hypotheses. Farinaz Khosravani, a receptionist at the Tara Hotel in Mahabad, either entered a room rented by a non-local man out of job necessity or voluntarily due to a prior acquaintance. In the first scenario, the man's intent to assault her while the door was closed likely led to Farinaz fleeing to the balcony, resulting in her fall, either accidentally or as a conscious act. In the second scenario, Ms. Khosravani may have attempted to escape through the balcony to avoid being seen by the hotel’s security cameras, ultimately leading to her tragic death. Regardless of which scenario is correct, certain aspects of the tragedy and the reactions to it share a common source. I will briefly highlight these shared aspects. "Honor" and Reputation The first question is how the perception of this issue as "honor-related" has influenced the intensity of reactions to this bitter event. Some comments on social media and certain shouts heard in videos related to the protests in Mahabad suggest that an unspecified portion of the anger from some protesters regarding Farinaz's death stems from viewing the matter as "honor-related." While "honor" does not have a precise definition, it generally refers to "the protection of the body, soul, and spirit of one’s own woman from the eyes and hands of non-related men." In this sense, a woman is seen as a commodity that must be protected from the encroachment of "others." The body and spirit of a woman, before belonging to herself, are a crucial and inseparable part of the reputation, honor, and dignity of the man who has a blood or legal bond with her. Thus, the belief that a stranger intended to assault "our honor" or that "a woman from us" lost her life defending her "honor" likely fueled intense emotional reactions from some protesters. This group of protesters took to the streets to express their anger towards the assailant and the safe space provided for him, while also showing solidarity with a woman who preferred death over "dishonor." On the other hand, the importance of the concept of "honor" in society and possibly in the victim's family may also be one of the reasons that compelled the victim to escape from situations that posed a risk of "dishonor," ultimately costing her life. Privacy In recent days, a video has circulated via Bluetooth in the city of Mahabad, reportedly recorded by the hotel’s CCTV system, showing Ms. Khosravani leaving the hotel after work hours, returning to the hotel, and going to the room occupied by the male guest on the fourth floor. Apparently, the purpose of leaking this video to the public was to calm a specific segment of the protesters who believed that the male guest intended to assault Ms. Khosravani, and that she jumped out of the window to defend her "honor." However, this video only shows the entry and exit of individuals and reveals nothing about what transpired inside the room. Nonetheless, the victim's privacy has been violated solely to appease the protesters after her death, and a video that should have been used only for security and judicial purposes has ended up on citizens' mobile phones. Trust in Government We may never know exactly what happened. The deceased's family, due to social reasons and the security pressures they have faced from day one, will likely remain somewhat silent on the matter. However, society has no trust in the government's or legal system's narrative or its role as an arbiter. This distrust fuels public violence when such news is broadcast. The lack of public confidence in the integrity of the judicial system and the claims of officials raises the social and security costs of such incidents in society, stemming not only from a fundamental rift between the government and the people but also from similar past events. In at least two cases of young women’s murders in recent years, Sahar Choubini and Somayeh Feyzollahpour, judicial follow-ups have failed to convince public opinion and have increased distrust. On Friday, October 11, 2013, the body of Sahar Choubini, a student from Marivan studying in Hamadan, was found in her dormitory. Initially, the forensic report stated that she died from a brain injury, but two days later it was claimed that she had committed suicide. This contradiction in reporting led to protests in Marivan and Hamadan University. On April 10, 2012, the body of a 17-year-old girl named Somayeh Feyzollahpour was discovered in a sewage canal in the coastal park of the city of Boukan in West Azerbaijan. The girl had been missing for a week, and after her body was found, nine people were arrested but ultimately released, despite reports that those detained were generally thugs linked to security agencies in the city, which caused unrest in the area for some time. Incorrect statements and bizarre positions from responsible government officials have also fueled this atmosphere of distrust. The Shiite governor of Boukan, referring to the discovery of Somayeh Feyzollahpour's body, told the Mehr News Agency: "This girl comes from a Sunni family of Shafi'i faith, and in this faith, the presence of a girl in the family has no standing." Thus, the responsibility for the disappearance of a child is lifted from the law, law enforcement, and society and is instead attributed to her family's Sunni faith. In the recent tragedy, the political-security deputy of the West Azerbaijan governor stated: "... the suspect intended to propose marriage to the deceased, but she tried to leave the room and fell out of the window due to her rapid movement and died." Such statements, which raise public concern about the lack of justice, lead some to believe that they must exert pressure and impose security costs on the government to compel the state and judicial system to pursue the matter seriously and punish the offenders. In this specific case, rumors about the suspect's membership in security or governmental agencies fueled the protests. The rift between the government and the people in Kurdistan and Kurdish regions is more serious due to the harsher suppression of dissent, and the public's response to crimes or even personal errors by government-affiliated agents is broader. This rift, partly due to the national interests of the Kurds and partly due to the differences and contradictions between the official religion of the government and the religion of the people in Kurdistan, deepens with each event that is perceived to involve a government agent. Political Aspect of the Protests Protesters, who have a suitable background for dissent and resistance due to repression, economic inequality, and discrimination, will naturally express their grievances when an opportunity for protest arises. It seems that in most analyses or reports on this matter, these backgrounds have been overlooked, and efforts have been made to portray all protesters as emotional youths who took to the streets for emotional reasons. However, while some shouts or reactions have highlighted the honor-related aspect of the protest for some, there are other signs indicating that this protest resembles the protests following the death of Shwana Seyed Qaderi in 2005, reflecting a systemic objection that allows such incidents to occur. In 2005, the people of Mahabad took to the streets after images of the corpse of a young man from the city named Kamal Asfarm, known as Shwana Seyed Qaderi, who was arrested by the police and later returned to his family as a tortured corpse, were published. These protests then spread to other cities in Kurdistan. The slogan "Death to the Capitalist," emphasized by the protesters regarding the owner of the Tara Hotel, is one of these slogans that indicates this protest cannot be understood or analyzed without considering its political backgrounds and motivations. The protesters' insistence on the suspect's security affiliation, despite some evidence to the contrary, also carries a clear message. They are protesting against the security agent and the security system that has ensured the continuation of these unequal conditions. The security response to these protests, while seemingly effective in calming the situation and reclaiming the streets from the protesters, ultimately leads to a deepening of the rift that will intensify such protests in the future. The arrest of several protesters and the injury of others, with reports indicating the serious condition of at least one of them, further highlights the political aspect of these protests among people who see the government as an adversary for various reasons.