The Iranian Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested in September 2022 for allegedly wearing her headscarf incorrectly – and died in police custody. Her death sparked a massive protest movement. Now she will be honored posthumously with the Sakharov Prize.
The European Parliament posthumously awards the Sakharov Prize to the Kurdish Iranian Jina Mahsa Amini. “The brutal murder of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini was a turning point. It sparked a women-led movement that is making history,” said Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg.
The prize also goes to the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement triggered by her death. “These courageous women, men and young people have inspired the world through their fight for equality, freedom and dignity,” Metsola wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
Mahsa Amini died in Police custody
Amini was visiting Tehran in September 2022 when she was arrested by the so-called moral police for an alleged violation of the strict Islamic dress code: she is said to have worn her headscarf too loosely. A short time later she died in police custody – according to her family, after being mistreated by the moral police. The Iranian authorities reject this.
Her death sparked massive protests in Iran, with women at the forefront. Under the motto “Woman, Life, Freedom” they protest against the hijab law and other discriminatory regulations. The young generation in particular took to the streets for months against the repressive policies of the Islamic leadership. The state authorities violently suppressed the demonstrations.
More than 500 people, including 71 minors, were killed at the time, according to human rights groups. Hundreds of people were injured and thousands were arrested. Seven men were later executed in connection with the demonstrations. As a sign of silent protest, many women still ignore the obligation to wear a headscarf – something that has never happened before in Iran to this extent.
Sakharov Prize for the fight of human rights
Amini’s nomination for the EU Parliament award was supported by the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and Liberal groups. An awards ceremony is scheduled for December 13th.
This year’s finalists also included Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who defend human rights in Nicaragua, as well as three women from Poland, El Salvador and the USA who support free, safe and legal abortion insert.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded for 35 years to individuals or organizations that promote human rights and freedom of expression. It is endowed with 50,000 euros. The prize is named after the Soviet nuclear physicist, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, who died in 1989.