On September 16th 2022, an Iranian woman by the name of Mahsa Amini was brutally beaten to death. The reason? Her hijab was supposedly “worn incorrectly.” Ever since then, her case has sparked great outrage, especially amongst fellow Iranian women. This has led to large protests across the country, which has resulted in even more deaths and crackdowns. Women are freeing themselves of their hijabs and burning them as a sign of protest. For the past several days, allegations have been made against police officers who are said to be the people responsible for Amini’s death. In defense, the officers claimed that Amini simply died of a heart attack, but people do not normally get bruises on their faces from heart attacks. Several riots have ensued, and the country is in a complete state of turmoil and chaos.

Mahsa Amini was taken into custody after refusing to wear her hijab correctly. As a result, she was beaten to death. Despite the police saying she died of a heart attack, many onlookers confirmed that this was not the case.  According to a witness of the ordeal, she states that “they grabbed her head and slammed it on the ground. She was taken to the detention room where she held her head and said ‘my head my head’ several times.” (The Washington Post)

Pictures of Mahsa Amini’s death have been circulating around the internet as well, and some of them are quite graphic. Some photos depict the injuries the woman sustained, while others even show her corpse. Although there have been huge riots breaking out all over the country, Iran’s government refuses to acknowledge this problem and merely sends out armed forces to gun down the protesters. Over 41 people have been killed in the riots (most being women), but the women of Iran do not seem to be backing down.

Despite what many people say, it is no doubt that women have it hard when it comes to equality. Many countries all around the globe continue to deny women of their basic rights, such as the mere right to be able to show her face in public. It is disgusting, but change can only happen if we make our voices loud enough for the world to hear. If we can do so, then the world can take a step in the right direction on bettering womens’ rights.