The Protests in Iran Explained: Woman, Life, Freedom скачать в хорошем качестве

The Protests in Iran Explained: Woman, Life, Freedom

What do the protesters in Iran actually want? There's been some confusion in the media and online about what the protesters are actually calling for. There have been some claims that the protests are anti-Islam, or that they're actually about the economy or that Israel or the US are behind what's been happening. To properly understand what protesters are calling for now it's important to go back to what and who started this movement in the first place. The current protests began after the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman. Iran's so-called 'morality police' for improperly wearing a hijab and died while in custody. The Iranian government says she had pre-existing medical conditions, but Amini's family have denied this, and eyewitnesses say she was beaten by authorities. What came next were mass protests started and led by women that quickly spread across the country. Images of women defying local laws by cutting their hair in public and burning hijabs in the street went viral. This, however, did lead to a bit of confusion in some places about whether the protests were anti-Islam and were simply about banning the hijab something protesters and Iranians around the world have made noticeably clear is not the case. Some of the international coverage has also been criticised for implying that the protests are caused by and are mostly about economic problems, something many Iranians believe downplays the real reason why the protests started. If you want to know what the Iranian protesters have actually been calling for all you need to do is look at footage of the protests and listen to what they're saying. Women, Life, Freedom - which originated as a Kurdish slogan, Jin, Jiyan, Azadi - has become the signature chant of the protests. It's important to note that while the protests may have been started and led by Iranian women the movement has grown to include Iranian people from all occupations. Choice is at the core of what protesters are actually demanding: freedom and basic human rights. The Iranian government has been violently cracking down on the protest movement. Human rights organisations are reporting that thousands of protesters have been arrested and more than two hundred have been killed so far including at least thirty children. Among those killed were two young women who had joined the protests Nika and Sarina. Like Mahsa Jina they have become symbols of the movement. In the past there has been hope amongst Iranians that they would be able to achieve change through reform by choosing politicians claiming to want change and by trying to introduce new laws, but that's not what the current protest movement is calling for. Supporters of regime change believe reform is impossible as long as the Iranian regime stays in power because Iran is not a real democracy. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is Iran's Supreme Leader, a position that holds ultimate power over all aspects of Iranian life including Iranian politics and is appointed by a small group of religious clerics and not elected by the Iranian people. Just because many Iranians are calling for regime change it doesn't mean they want foreign militaries to intervene in Iran. Iranians around the world have been calling for action from the international community since the protests first began. For everyday people the focus is on raising awareness and amplifying the voices of protesters. The Iranian government has been cutting internet access and blocking social media sites. Which makes it harder for people in Iran to share what's happening. Some protest footage has found its way onto the internet thanks to workarounds like VPNs. By sharing this vision people can see what's happening from the perspective of the protesters as the Iranian government has been trying to push its own narrative that Iranians aren't really behind the protests and it's actually the United States and Israel pulling the strings. Solidarity online and in the streets can have a significant impact on protester’s morale and can also signal to international media and foreign governments that both Iranian and non-Iranian people are concerned with what's happening which can lead to more media scrutiny and can pressure world leaders to act. Iranians want to see direct aid given for example, helping to provide internet for people in Iran, something the US government has announced it's working with tech companies to achieve. Iranian groups are also working alongside human rights organisations like Amnesty International to push for the United Nations to set up an independent investigation involving a wide range of countries to look into what's happening in Iran. This can lead to targeted sanctions against members of the regime. It can also work towards de-legitimising the regime itself and make it less likely for atrocities to take place if the world is watching and paying close attention. - Nicholas Maher, ABC