Women’s rights in Iran

After the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16 - a 22 year's old Kurdish woman detained by Iran’s morality police prior to her death - people of different social groups have been protesting all around Iran and chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi)”.

The courageous girls and women of Iran, from Kurdistan to Baluchistan, are fighting for their basic human rights at the front line. As the ongoing demonstrations and protests show, women’s rights in current Iran are a crucial topic to bring attention to.

The animation film Persepolis (Satrapi, 2007) tells a story of a girl (Marji) who grew up during the Islamic revolution in Iran, experiencing inequality and patriarchy. This film shows Marji’s and her fights in a socio-political context in which women are second-class citizens by law.

After the film there will be a discussion with Alireza Rabiei and Mansoureh Shojaee:

Alireza Rabiei will explain how the movie’s autobiographical depiction of the Iranian 1979 revolution is related to the women’s rights in current Iran. Mansoureh Shojaee will talk about the impact of mandatory hijab on the movement for Woman, Life, Freedom. She will shed light on women’s rights in Iran and the history of women's movement in Iran.

About the guest-speakers:

• Mansoureh Shojaee is an Iranian writer, journalist and a women’s rights activist in exile. She studied Human Rights, Gender & Conflict at the International Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She is the founder of The Iranian Women’s Movement Museum (IRWMM) and a researcher at Iran Academia.
• Alireza Rabiei is an Iranian research master student in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. His research interests are focused on the Iranian film industry, censorship and independent filmmaking in Iran and diaspora.