‘This brutality has to end’: Manitobans rally on anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death

Manitoba’s Iranian community gathered Saturday to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year.

She was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law.

Amini’s death on Sept. 16, 2022, sparked worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy.

“We are hoping that things will change faster but I guess in reality we need to practise the virtue of patience,” said Anahita Aminian. “It will take longer but we’re very, very hopeful that the regime will not last for another 44 years. This has to end. This brutality has to end.”

The community gathered outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) and raised a voice for the people of Iran in their fight for human rights.

Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman from the western region, died three days after she was arrested by morality police, allegedly for violating laws that require women to cover their hair in public. While authorities said she suffered a heart attack, Amini’s supporters said she was beaten by police and died of her injuries.

Her death triggered protests that spread across the country and rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. Authorities responded with a violent crackdown in which more than 500 people were killed and in excess of 22,000 others were detained, according to rights groups.

Manitobans rally outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Sept. 16, 2023 – the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran. (Temi Olatunde, CityNews)

“Today we are here to show our support to some of the heroes who are fighting with their hands with one of the most ruthless regimes in history and we will keep our voice up until a fundamental change happens,” said Arian Arianpour, president of the Iranian Community of Manitoba.

Shaho Arjomandi says he wanted to pay respects to those that have died in the 44 years of Iran under dictatorship. He says he feels grateful for the freedom he has in Canada to express himself and wants the same for others.

“This is the opportunity for someone like me in a free country to come and support people who don’t have this opportunity,” said Arjomandi.

Jon Gerrard, the Liberal MLA for River Heights, says a fight for human rights is something everyone should care about.

“We have a museum for human rights,” said Gerrard. “We in Winnipeg and Manitoba need to be particularly concerned about human rights and human rights abuses where they occur in the world.”

Manitobans rally outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Sept. 16, 2023 – the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran. (Temi Olatunde, CityNews)

The CMHR put up a display on the anniversary of Amini’s death: a banner by Iranian Canadian artist Hajar Moradi as part of the movement for women’s rights in Kurdistan and Iran. The banner has the slogan “Woman Life Freedom.”

“We selected this piece because of the very strong message that it carries and the strong vision of the artist to really raise awareness and bring people in solidarity about the recent uprising in Iran,” said Angeliki Bogiatji, the interpretive program developer at the CMHR.

The banner also contains notes in different languages by women standing in solidarity. The installation is located at the community corridor in the museum and is free to view. It will remain on display until March 10, 2024

The demonstrations in Iran largely died down earlier this year, but there are still widespread signs of discontent. For several months, women could be seen openly flaunting the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.

Arianpour says despite all the atrocities, there is hope for a better future.

“It is evident now that Iran will not go back to where it was a year ago, and this revolution will succeed,” he said. “But for it to succeed faster, we do need the support of the people and the government of the free world.”

“There is hope, there is anger, there is fear for people in Iran, but that hope is helping us move forward,” added Aminian.

—With files from The Associated Press