Hundreds demonstrate on anniversary of death of Jina Mahsa Amini

The demonstrators called on Switzerland to change its policy towards Iran. © Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

Several hundred people demonstrated in Basel on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in police custody.

The national demonstration of the group “Free Iran Switzerland” included almost exclusively exiled Iranians and representatives of the Kurdish community, as reported by the Keystone-SDA news agency. A police contingent accompanied the demonstrators.

The demonstrators called on Switzerland to change its policy towards Iran. They demanded, for example, that Switzerland adopt the EU sanctions against Iran and that funds belonging to members of the regime be frozen.

A demonstration was also announced for Saturday afternoon in Lucerne to mark the anniversary of Amini’s death.

Death triggered protest movement

This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Amini’s death, which in autumn 2022 triggered the most serious uprisings in Iran in decades.

Islamic guardians of morality had arrested the then 22-year-old for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. What exactly happened afterwards is still unclear today – ultimately, the young woman fell into a coma and died in a hospital. At the time, her parents expressed early doubts about the state’s account that their daughter had died as a result of illness. Thousands of people flocked to Amini’s funeral. Starting in the Kurdish regions, the protests spread like wildfire.

The young generation in particular took to the streets under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” against the repressive policies of the Islamic leadership. The state had the protests, which had kept the country in suspense for months, violently suppressed. At the behest of the Iranian judiciary, seven men were executed in connection with the demonstrations. As a sign of silent protest, many women still ignore the headscarf requirement – something that has never happened to this extent in Iran before.

Amini’s hometown of Saghes was sealed off before the anniversary of her death, as residents of the region reported. There were initially no calls for protests because of fears of renewed violence by the forces. However, people in the Kurdish regions wanted to commemorate the anniversary by closing shops, for example. In other cities, too, the power apparatus took precautions against possible new protests. While in the past few days, everyday life largely prevailed, police officers were increasingly seen around public places, especially after dark.

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