UN Special Rapporteur on the Second Anniversary of Mahsa: We Witness the Unwavering Resistance of Women and Girls in Iran

On the second anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Amini and the onset of nationwide protests, which were suppressed by the Islamic Republic authorities leaving hundreds dead, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran expressed thoughts for the families of protesters who have lost their loved ones. Maya Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, wrote in Persian on social media platform X on Monday, September 17: "I am thinking of the families of protesters who have lost their loved ones during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement." She declared "solidarity with women and girls in Iran," emphasizing: "Despite efforts to silence women's voices and further deprive them of their rights, we continue to witness the unwavering resistance of women and girls." Additionally, Amnesty International issued a brief statement noting that "two years have passed since the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran," declaring: "Amnesty International stands in solidarity with the survivors, the families of victims, and all those who continue to endure the devastating consequences of the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown." This international human rights organization called for "global action for truth and justice" under international law against the "systematic impunity for crimes in Iran." Furthermore, the U.S. Office of Global Women's Issues stated that the United States continues to stand with the people of Iran in their struggle for basic human rights. The Deputy Special Representative of the U.S. State Department for Iran also stated that human rights and support for the people are central to the U.S. government's approach toward the Iranian regime, and Washington continues to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for its destabilizing actions both domestically and abroad. Mahsa (Jina) Amini died a few days after being arrested by the morality police on September 16, 2022, at Kasra Hospital in Tehran, and her death triggered widespread protests across Iran that lasted for months in the streets, universities, and schools. During the suppression of the nationwide protests in 2022 by government forces, hundreds of citizens were killed, and thousands were injured and arrested. Moreover, the Iranian judiciary began executing several detained protesters less than three months after the onset of the peaceful nationwide protests. To date, the Iranian judiciary has executed Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Mohammad Hosseini, Saleh Mirhashimi, Saeed Yaqoubi, Majid Kazemi, Milad Zahraei, Mohammad Qobadlu, and Reza Rasayi, among those arrested during the nationwide protests in 2022, and several other protesters remain at risk of execution. Political prisoners in Qezel Hessar held a memorial for the second anniversary of Mahsa's death, chanting against Khamenei. Australia imposed sanctions on five Iranian security and military officials on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. Prince Reza Pahlavi called for the unity of Iranians against the Islamic Republic on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. Empress Farah Pahlavi stated that the efforts of the "religious dictatorship" to eliminate the role of women in Iranian society have failed. Amir Hossein Moradi and Ali Younesi remarked that a spark could ignite the "uprising to overthrow Khamenei."