On the 13th of September, Massa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran's hijab rules. Three days later, she was dead. Her family suspected that she was subject to beating and torture. Since then, protests and acts of resistance have been building across the country. Women are tired of the morality police beating them up, and the Islamic Republic leaders who police their every move. These demonstrations have spilled into cyberspace, with viral videos of women burning their hijabs, cutting their hair, and singing and dancing. The Iranian regime has been shutting off the internet in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan, and blocking access to platforms
On 13 September Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab rules. Three days later she was dead. Since then, videos of anti-regime demonstrations and acts of resistance have gone viral – leading the government to block internet access in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Azadeh Akbari about why Mahsa Amini’s death has sparked so much anger, and hears from Alp Toker about how governments and regimes around the world are able to limit internet access.. Help support our independent journalism at
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