On Saturday 22 October, there was a big protest in Berlin to demonstrate solidarity with Iranian activists. An estimated 80,000 people took to the streets. Nika was there and took this photo. Protests demanding women’s rights, democracy and freedom are going on all over Iran. Government troops are using extreme violence against the protesters. Iranians at WUR feel both worried and hopeful.
On Monday 17 October, Iranians and other WUR staff and students came together on campus to express their solidarity with the protesters in Iran. Two organizers of the event, PhD student Nika* and postdoc Sarina*, talked to Resource about what is going on, how the protests affect them, and how WUR and the WUR community can help.
‘We have a long history of protests in Iran,’ says Nika. ‘Over time, the protests have become more frequent.’ The current unrest started after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September. Amini was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her headscarf correctly. Eyewitnesses say she was severely beaten after her arrest, which put her in a coma. She died three days later. Across Iran, protests erupted demanding women’s rights and more freedom in general. There are strikes going on in various sectors, like the oil industry, education and transport. Sarina: ‘I think the majority of Iranians are against the mandatory hijab and other extremely strict Islamic rules. The young generation knows what freedom looks like in the rest of the world thanks to social media. Then they see what happened to Mahsa Amini and they think: that could have been me, or my sister or my daughter.’
Doubts
Nika grew up in a conservative region of Iran. ‘As a young girl I already questioned the different rules for boys and girls, but I was told it was a big sin to cast doubt on them. For a while, I wished I was a boy, because they have a lot more freedom. That was confusing, but after a while I realized the problem was not that I was a woman—I love being a woman—but being a woman in this society.’
Like all Iranian women, Nika and Sarina were obliged to wear hijabs in school from the age of seven, and in all other public places from the age of nine. Sarina: ‘You can’t swim, you can’t dance, you can’t do anything.’ Nika: ‘Even if you dance at a private party in your home, police can come in and arrest you for “immoral behaviour”.’ In court, the word of a male witness is worth twice as much as that of a female witness.
The images are disturbing, but I can’t stop watching
A married woman has to ask her husband’s permission to go to work or even to leave the house. Sarina: ‘Protests against those rules were silenced and women’s rights activists were jailed.’ Nika and Sarina estimate that less than 20 per cent of Iranians support the current regime. Nika: ‘Even in that group, I don’t think everybody is so strict, but many of them depend on the system because they have government jobs.’
‘Woman, life, freedom’
Since the protests started, more than 200 people have been killed, at least 28 of them children aged between 7 and 17, says Sarina. ‘Hundreds of others have been arrested or tortured or have disappeared. Our fellow students and academics in Iran are in mortal danger.’ But despite the tough government crackdown, the protests are still going strong. While they fear for the safety of their family and friends, Nika and Sarina are hopeful that this time, the protests will bring change to the country. ‘I think it is different this time compared to previous protests,’ says Sarina. Nika agrees. ‘These protests are taking place all over Iran, even in the smaller towns and conservative areas. The young generation is taking the lead and there is massive solidarity. Also, there is no clear leader, which makes it harder for the regime to shut down the protests.’ Sarina: ‘And everybody agrees about the goals: women’s rights, freedom and democracy.’
The situation in Iran is having a big impact on Nika’s and Sarina’s life in Wageningen. ‘The images are disturbing, but I can’t stop watching,’ says Sarina. ‘Last week, the university where I did my Master’s was attacked by police. I go to sleep around two in the morning and wake up at seven.’ The government is blocking communication channels such as social media and WhatsApp, which makes it harder to stay in touch with family and friends back home. ‘It is stressful.’
Speak out
Sarina and Nika are grateful for the response of their supervisors and colleagues. ‘They are very supportive and tell us to take all the time we need. Not all Iranians at WUR have supervisors like us. We think Iranian students could use some extra help. WUR should approach them proactively and tell them how to get in touch with the student psychologists.’
People who want to help can speak out on social media to keep up the pressure, says Nika. ‘And join demonstrations. After massive demonstrations in Canada, the government imposed sanctions.’ Another option would be to approach political representatives directly to call for sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. ‘They oppress us in Iran, but their families live in freedom abroad. Freeze their assets and deport them.’
Nika and Sarina hope that WUR will make a statement declaring solidarity with the demonstrators, like the University of Groningen did two weeks ago. ‘That would make us feel supported.’ ‘We too are concerned by the developments in that country,’ says WUR spokesperson Annet Blanken. ‘We are offering support to anyone at our university who is worried about their family and connections in Iran. We are in contact with the Iranian community at WUR to give them a voice within our university through meetings and interviews and to give them support.’
* Names have been changed for safety reasons.