Mahsa (Zhina) Amini
When she left her hometown of Saqqez to go to Tehran on holiday, a few days before her 23rd birthday, she never thought that in a few days, she’d face a brutal and cruel death and that all the world would know her name. While walking in the streets of Tehran, she was stopped by the agents of the Islamic regime in a street in Tehran because they found her hijab to be not satisfactory. They wanted to take her to one of their bases, but she did not want to go, and she gets beaten by the ‘police’, was thrown into a van and taken to that base. She did not feel well and told those agents, but none cared about it. Until she passes away and went into a coma. At this point, they send her to a hospital, but it was too late and she dies two days later. Her death outraged Iran. She was not the first or even the last person murdered by the Islamic Regime in Iran. But her death was the last straw and the anger and frustration of all Iranian citizens erupted into an uprising, that soon turned into a revolution. And now, Mahsa is a symbol of a revolution.
What has been shared about her on social media since her death shows a young woman with a passion for life. She loved dancing and singing and she wanted to live a happy life. She was a Kurd, one of the most prominent ethnic groups in Iran. Brave and generous people who have been brutally suppressed by the Islamic regime since the first days they came to power. Kurds have always been known to not bow to pressure and fight tyrants and that has always infuriated the regime. They have tried to break the spirit of the Kurdish people, but they have failed miserably. Kurdistan region has been the most active in this revolution, in spite of the brutality and cruelty of the regime.
Even her name shows the deep-rooted suppression that Kurdish people face in Iran. Zhina, was the name her family used to call her. But the Regime in Iran has banned many Kurdish names in the official birth certificates. Hence, her family chose Mahsa as her official name but called her Zhina at home. But not for long. Soon, many girls in the Kurdistan region of Iran and many other regions will be called Zhina, the symbol of a revolution, the symbol of life and the symbol of freedom.
All responsible for her death will be held accountable. We will not forget, we will not forgive.
