I am a free woman. It’s a luxury not afforded to the women of my motherland, Iran. As an Australian with Kurdish Iranian heritage, the past six weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion. A cocktail of fear, grief, guilt, pride and hope. Fear for the safety of millions of Iranians living under an oppressive rule. Grief for the hundreds of innocent lives lost, the thousands imprisoned and being brutally tortured. Guilt for not having been a stronger voice for a pain I know only too well. Death is the ultimate price for freedom in Iran. This disparity should not be lost on anyone living with basic human rights.
Iran is a country of contradictions. It possesses intense natural beauty, deep cultural and historical roots, and a formidable people from a kaleidoscope of ethnic origins. For 43 years Iran has been under theocratic rule, led by a supreme leader and a power structure that has instilled fear in the very people it governs, and that has ostracised the country from the global community. Its regime has a scathing report card of human rights abuses against political dissidents, minorities such as the Kurds, Baluch, Sunni Muslims, Bahá’ís, and the LGBTQIA+ community, among others.
The regime has used censorship to stifle the voices of dissent from poets, writers, journalists and free thinkers daring to criticise it. Most scathing of all has been the regime’s denial of basic human rights and freedom for half of the country’s population, its women.
Women have been denied freedom of dress, expression, equal rights before a court of law, and the ability to hold senior decision-making authority in the government or judiciary. Despite this, young Iranian women are reported to have the highest literacy rate in the Middle East, with a high percentage of university graduates, and have one of the highest percentage of university graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics when compared with other countries.
On 16 September, the death of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa (Jina) Amini while in custody of the morality police for allegedly not observing the strict mandatory hijab laws, sparked a movement by Iranian women, largely high school and university students, who are now spearheading a revolution. This movement has galvanised Iranians’ resolve to stand up and seek the freedom they deserve.
There should be no mistake about what this fight is for. It is not a fight against religion but rather a system of government, and a fight for liberty that has transcended gender, class and religious divides. Women, veiled and unveiled; men, young and old; and religious and secular Iranians stand shoulder to shoulder to call for regime change. In a country where a woman can be persecuted for revealing an inch too much of her hair, young women are out on the streets of Tehran and every major city in Iran, chanting “zan, zendegi, azadi” (woman, life, freedom).
They are being arrested, beaten, raped and killed and still they continue to show up, day after day, demanding their voices be heard. To say that as a fellow Iranian woman I am proud is an understatement. I am in awe of the bravery and courage of these lionesses. Their iron will to combat tyranny and rise against hatred and darkness is an act of defiance that has astonished and humbled the Iranian diaspora and the global community, who are also rallying across major cities around the world, including in Australia, to show their solidarity and amplify the voices of those in Iran.
The Iranian women’s revolution has tapped into a collective struggle for women across the globe as we continue to face issues of equality and fairness, such as a continued lack of representation in all levels of government and business; the gender pay gap; and most concerning, the continued erosion of women’s rights in places such as Afghanistan, India and even the US. It heralds a strong message to all authoritarian and patriarchal societies that a paradigm shift is on the doorstep.
As the uprising escalates, so does the anger of Iranian women – intensified in response to the incredible savagery by the regime. There is no price for human life and no death is justified. The resolve of the Iranian people and the images on social media of young lives lost in this fight clearly demonstrates they have accepted that their freedom as a nation will come with sacrifice. There is no power greater than the collective human resolve. This is the realm of hope and where the promise of liberty lies.
Australia’s response to this crisis matters. As members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, with a strong international standing and a large Iranian diaspora, our response needs to be commensurate with our commitment to protect the universality of human rights and the promotion and progress of social inclusion by ensuring equal rights for women and young girls. Action by the Australian government will send a clear message not only to the Iranian regime, that we are watching and questioning their legitimacy to govern Iran, but also to all migrants who lovingly call Australia home, that they matter and that our government will not remain a spectator while humans suffer.
The Australian government has provided a message of solidarity and publicly condemned the barbaric response of the regime against innocent protesters, however, to date I have seen no announcement of definitive actions. The Canadian government, for instance, several weeks ago announced targeted sanctions against officials and their affiliates within the regime’s power structure.
Without action we fail in our commitments and the very human rights we claim to protect. We fail in recognising that inequality and injustice against women and the vulnerable anywhere in the world is injustice against all.
Setareh Vaziri is an Iranian-Australian with Kurdish heritage. Born in Iran, she migrated to Australia with her family in the early 90s and resides in Melbourne. She is a mother of two girls, a writer and an advocate of women’s rights. She works in financial crime mitigation in the banking industry.