Her Name Was Mahsa; A Swimming Coach Who Wanted to Become a Doctor
Diako Alavi, a journalist from Saqqez and family friend, remembers Mahsa Amini.
"Perhaps Mahsa is merely an image for many, but for me, for the people of Saqqez, her friends and relatives, she remains a treasury of memories that persist to this day".
“I wished for Mahsa to be more than just a name, a photograph or a news story; I wanted you to get to know her as well.”
One year ago, the name of Mahsa Amini reverberated around the world. The tempest unleashed in Iran by her senseless killing, the revitalised movement for freedom her death inspired – studded with countless individual examples of solidarity, human ingenuity, courage and forbearance, from which the rest of the world can and should learn – needs little introduction now. Less is known about who she was, for the 22 years up until the moment she was abducted off the streets of Tehran. Before the morality police killed her, Mahsa Jina Amini was an aspiring doctor studying microbiology. She excelled at volleyball and was a qualified swimming coach. She was calm, serene and soft-hearted; she’d refer to wandering dogs as her “nieces”. On the eve of the anniversary of her death, a family friend has penned us a beautiful tribute to the young woman that was. Mahsa, they write, had an “unswerving desire to serve humanity”. And so she has.
We’re not sure what, if anything, tomorrow will bring. Armed forces are crawling the streets close to Mahsa’s family home, with heavy patrols also dispatched to Mashhad, Tabriz, Sanandaj and Zahedan. Shopkeepers in Saqqez are being threatened, and the roads in and out of town have been booby-trapped with metal spikes to stop would-be mourners, peaceful demonstrators, or anybody else for that matter, in their tracks. At least six peaceful activists have been newly arrested in East Azerbaijan province with no reason given. Dozens more will probably follow in the days to come. In the midst of all this, it was impressive to see at least some in the outside world are watching. Hats off to the French and Iranian lawyers from the Iran Justice Collective, who’ve filed a criminal complaint in Paris over the naked threats aimed at protesters by IRGC chiefs last year. It’s time we began calling out this behaviour on the international stage, for what it really is: as per the complaint, “death threats and justifying terrorism”.
It's worth recalling that Iran was in a restive state long before September 16, 2022. For 40 years before Mahsa’s life was cut short, millions had had their lives shaped by the unspeakably backward cruelty, arrogance and incompetence of this pantomime of a state. Older grievances remain unaddressed, and new ones are added to the litany every day. We’ve reported just this week on an outrageous attack by security forces on a sit-in at a gold mine in West Azerbaijan, where the locals were simply calling for better management and work opportunities. These grievances will also not end if the streets stay quiet in the next few days. In the latest in our now long-running series, Blinding as a Weapon, a young man deliberately shot at in the eyes in Bandar Abbas last year told us the atrocities only strengthened his resolve to stand against the so-called Islamic Republic, now and always. “As long as the Islamic Republic exists,” Erfan Ramizipour told us, “not only my life but the lives of all Iranians are in danger.”
Maziar
Security Boosted around Amini Family’s Home in Saqqez
Iranian armed forces have been heavily deployed around the home of Mahsa Amini's parents in the western Kurdish city of Saqqez amid increased measures to prevent new protests on the first anniversary of the young woman’s death in police custody.
Car Checks, Warnings: Pressure Grows on Saqqez Residents ahead of Mahsa Anniversary
Metal rods fitted with spikes pointing upward have been placed behind concrete blocks at the entrance points of Mahsa Amini's hometown, as security forces inspect all vehicles entering and leaving the city.
Iran after Mahsa Amini: A Year of Uprising, Blood and Death
A year since Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran's morality police, at least 537 people, including 71 children and teenagers, have been killed by the repressive forces of the Islamic Republic. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested.
Six Activists Arrested in Tabriz; Reason and Whereabouts Unknown
Iranian security forces arrested on September 14 six activists in Tabriz. The men detained – Dawood Shiri, Ali Babaei, Amir Hossein Aghaei, Mohammed Reza Movahed, Azaar Ebrahimzadeh and Javad Sudbar – are all ethnic Azeris and former political prisoners.
Top Iranian Officials Targeted in French Criminal Complaint
A criminal complaint was filed with Paris prosecutors on September 14 against an Iranian minister and the top commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and its elite Quds force for "death threats and justifying terrorism."
Unemployment Protest: What Happened at Iran’s Aqdara Gold Mine?
On July 31, two young job seekers were holding a sit-in protest near the Aqdara gold mine in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province when the police arrived and asked for reinforcement. The protest escalated and three people were injured.
Saman’s School: Iranian Authorities Jail Education Pioneer for Being a Baha'i
In 2017, Saman Ostovar welcomed a class of 12 children from Baha’i families, below elementary school age, to their own educational initiative outside the standard school system. Ostovar has now been arrested.
Marginalized Community in Ahvaz Laments Lack of Basic Infrastructure
A video shared on social media showed many residents of Ekbatan town in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz protesting the failure of municipal authorities to provide essential amenities.
Blinding as a Weapon: Erfan, Three Bullets Flashing, Complete Darkness
Erfan Ramizipour was a 19-year-old student when nationwide protests erupted last year. On November 16, amid the chaos, fire and smoke, he was targeted with a laser and shot. Erfan collapsed and forever lost sight in one of his eyes.
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