On the evening of Tuesday, September 13, 2022, near Haqqani Metro Station in Tehran, Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Saqqez who had traveled to Tehran with her family, was arrested by the morality police for having a few strands of hair visible under her headscarf. After being transferred to one of the police vehicles, she was beaten with batons, and she subsequently lost her life in the hospital. Following her funeral in Saqqez, the city rose with the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom," sparking a nationwide uprising across Iran.

The 2022 nationwide protests against the murder of Mahsa Amini marked the beginning of a movement in which young people in various cities demanded their social freedoms and basic rights. This bold struggle continues despite severe repression. The widespread participation of people, particularly young women, with slogans defending women's rights and opposing discriminatory legal and systemic violence of the Islamic government, exposed the backward, misogynistic, and inhumane face of this criminal regime to the world. Without a doubt, the Jina Mahsa Amini movement is a turning point in the history of women's struggles in Iran. Its progressive and unique message resonated globally, forging connections with women's movements across the world. The continued courageous resistance of women against the misogynistic Islamic regime demonstrates that despite brutal repression, the regime's policies to suppress women's rightful struggles have failed.

Each uprising and movement in our country’s history has left its distinct mark on the interconnected struggles of the past four decades. The December 2017 uprising, with the slogan "Reformists, Hardliners, the game is over," decisively rejected the illusion of reform. In November 2019, the explicit demand for regime change, although met with the ruthless massacre of over 1,500 young people in cities such as the marshlands of Mahshahr, showed that the people of Iran no longer wanted the current regime in Iran. The Jina Mahsa Amini movement, with its prominent features, showcased the Iranian people's demand for regime change through the solidarity of diverse ethnic groups and nationalities. It is no surprise that, in addition to overt repression and brutal killings, the Iranian regime employed tactics such as promoting obsolete monarchist ideals, organizing divisive conferences, and fearmongering about the country’s fragmentation to combat this unity.

The unwritten solidarity and alliances within the Jina Mahsa Amini movement facilitated the spread of the struggle, demonstrating to the world that the people of Iran have no alignment or sympathy with the Islamic Republic. The Jina movement represents a political vision for transformation, articulating demands that highlight the significance of political change and the goals of progressive struggle in Iran. What stands out in political struggles, particularly in cultures like Iran, are the slogans and demands that convey the essence and modern values of the fight.

Our country is currently passing through critical historical moments. We must attentively address the social and legal issues of our people, especially women and ethnic groups, and persistently work in solidarity with them to deepen democracy and promote popular freedoms.

The Iranian regime leaders’ efforts to cling to power by any means have led to the trampling of all human values, leaving the world stunned by its actions. In the deep political rift between the people and the ruling regime, violence has played a significant role, as evidenced by state-led massacres like the "Bloody Friday" in Zahedan. The ruling power believes that through violence, repression, and expanding social restrictions, it can maintain its authority and advance its domestic and foreign policies.

We, as active political organizations in the Broad Solidarity for Freedom and Equality, and the National Congress of Nationalities, firmly believe that the continued existence of the Islamic regime of Iran and the perpetuation of the current backward-looking laws will have catastrophic consequences for future generations of Iran. Undoubtedly, in the not-too-distant future, another movement, continuing the progressive struggles of the past 120 years—from the Constitutional Revolution to the present—will emerge. This movement will lead the people of Iran toward freedom, justice, and prosperity within the framework of a federal Iran.

Broad Solidarity for Freedom and Equality in Iran
Congress of Federal Nationalities for Iran

September 5, 2024