According to unofficial statistics, more than 500 people have been killed by the Islamic Republic’s security forces since Mahsa Amini was killed in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September 2022, and throughout the subsequent “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement also referred to as the “Jina” uprising. These deaths have occurred during protests, in detention, under torture or in other ways. In many cases, state security forces threatened families of victims to ensure their silence, and have refuted accounts of the killings by pressuring families of victims, and by obtaining forced confessions which have been broadcast on state sponsored media. As such, it has been difficult to document and confirm cases of protesters killed during the uprisings.
For this reason, Femena conducted vigorous fact checking and desk research in developing this report, which chronicles the names of the women killed during protests and to the extent possible the circumstances of their death. Through this report, we aim to commemorate the women who tragically lost their lives in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising. Many of these women willingly participated in the protests with clear demands for freedom and democratic changes. Some, however, were caught in the violence used by security forces and lost their lives as a result.
This report also attempts to document, to the extent possible, the government’s systematic harassment of the victims’ families. Femena condemns these crimes and hopes that documenting these narratives will be a step towards bringing to justice those responsible for carrying out and ordering these criminal acts against peaceful protesters.