Over 20 Independent Iranian Women's Organizations: The 'Women, Life, Freedom' Movement Has Entered a New Phase

More than 20 independent Iranian women's organizations issued a statement on Thursday, September 6, marking the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, declaring that 'the struggles have entered a new phase.' They added that 'in this revolutionary movement, all ongoing and scattered struggles of the past decades, both central and peripheral, which have often been overlooked, have risen to a level that can no longer be denied.' The signatory organizations emphasized that 'the proliferation of resistance and struggle in the nationwide protests of Women, Life, Freedom, which had been suppressed by various oppressors, continues.' The statement highlighted that 'ongoing struggles against the death penalty, against compulsory hijab, against national and class oppression, and the continuous and impactful struggles of the justice-seeking movement and the resilience of students' have transformed the face of cities with a continued 'no' to the regime and gender discrimination, and in general, a collective struggle for a better life. These women's organizations believe that 'these serious but unorganized struggles over decades against the reactionary and patriarchal structure of the state of religion and capital have taken a significant step forward,' referencing slogans such as 'Women and men are equal, united and brave,' 'With the power of women and men, oppression has shaken,' 'Oppression and injustice here, doubled against women,' and 'Let go of the hijab, think about us.' The signatories of the statement pointed to the gatherings of retirees in the streets of various cities, emphasizing that the struggle of political prisoners, especially women prisoners, is another part of the resistance that has stood firm in recent weeks with the Tuesday prison strikes against repression, torture, and execution. The statement referred to the sit-in of female political prisoners in the yard of the women's ward of Evin prison against the issuance of death sentences for Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, and Pakhshan Azizi, a civil activist. More than 20 independent women's organizations also announced that in 'the presidential elections, we witnessed the efforts of misogynistic regime candidates who all, while denying their role in establishing gender apartheid, desperately denied the existence of state organs controlling women's bodies and other forms of repression to encourage public participation in the elections.' Among the signatories of the statement are the Iranian Association of Free Women, the Women's Association of Parto, the Me Too Movement Iran, Women for Equal and Sustainable Freedom, the Organization for the Liberation of Women, the Women's Rights Organization (ICRO), and the Campaign to Stop Honor Killings.