In Iran, a year after Mahza Amini’s death, a low level of popular protest in an attempt to lead a “life without compromise”.

Desperation, waiting, despair, pride, obsession… Born on September 16, 2022, the first anniversary of the Iranian People’s Uprising, following the death of Mahza (Zina) Amini in police custody for a “poorly worn” veil. , residents of the Islamic Republic are struck by conflicting emotions. Many people have a life before and after Mahzah. But on the part of the authorities, the anniversary is being taken very seriously. For weeks, the government has been bracing itself to fend off any new wave of protests.

Arrests are on the rise among political activists, ex-prisoners and families affected by repression. On Wednesday, September 13, according to the human rights group Henga, a young Kurd named Hamad Bagheri was shot dead in the town of Karaj, 30 kilometers from Tehran, after he raised anti-regime slogans and called residents to protest. In Mahsa Amini’s hometown of Chaquez and other Kurdish regions of the country, the scene of the most brutal repression, the streets are now lined with surveillance cameras and military reinforcements.

In Tehran, residents complain about the proliferation of checkpoints in the city. Internet network is working worse than usual. In Sistan and Baluchistan (South-East) province, anti-regime demonstrations continue every Friday after noon prayers. “The environment is completely policed.”A resident of Zahedan, the capital of this province, explains, “Becomes a big prison”. “There are checkpoints at the entrances to the city, where every entry is controlled”He continues.

The crackdown on the movement killed around five hundred people, leading to a shutdown Huge street demonstrations. The protesters did not achieve any political change. Still, the standoff between the government and Iranian women against the veil is far from over. Despite the risk of arrest, harassment and dismissal, a form of resistance continues, day after day, stubbornly, quietly.

In a cafe, without a scarf

« For the first time since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, the issue of the veil and discrimination against women has become a symbol of all the injustices inflicted on the people. A sociologist who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal explains from Tehran. The demands of all groups, trade unions, religious and ethnic minorities, people of all social and economic classes, anywhere in the country, resonate in this movement. »

72.34% of this article is for you to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.