'Lashed for a social media photo' in Iran

In Iran, protests have erupted following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody. She was arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly, which sparked outrage among many Iranians, especially women. The protests have been a powerful expression of dissent against the government's strict rules regarding hijab and women's rights. Many women have shared their experiences of being monitored online by the authorities, leading to arrests, threats, and violence. One woman, Alef, decided to post a photo on social media showing her hair uncovered as a sign of solidarity with the protests. She wanted to convey the message, 'We exist. ' Unfortunately, her act of defiance caught the attention of the authorities, and she was arrested. Alef was blindfolded, handcuffed, and taken to an undisclosed location where she spent nearly two weeks in solitary confinement. During this time, she was interrogated multiple times, and her captors attempted to force her to confess to crimes she did not commit. They confiscated her phone and examined her social media posts, discovering that she had participated in protests where security forces had shot at her with pellet guns. Her interrogators accused her of being a U. S. agent. Alef faced several charges, including 'appearing in public without a hijab' and 'promoting corruption and fornication. ' She was found guilty and received a suspended sentence, but she was also subjected to 50 lashes. Alef recounted the painful experience, saying, 'A male officer told me to take off my coat and lie down. He was holding a black leather whip and started hitting me all over my body. It was very painful but I didn’t want to show weakness. ' Her story is not unique; many others have faced similar fates for their involvement in the protests. Since 2022, numerous Iranian women have defied the mandatory hijab rule in support of the Woman Life Freedom movement, which advocates for women's rights and freedom in Iran. Two individuals we spoke to were held in Evin Prison, notorious for housing political prisoners. They described the harsh living conditions, where prisoners were crammed into small, unsanitary cells with limited access to showers and toilets. One male influencer, who was detained for nearly a month, reported that there was only one shower and one toilet for around 100 inmates. A woman named Maral, who spent over two months in jail, shared that the women could only shower once or twice a week, which was particularly challenging during their menstrual cycles. 'Sometimes they wouldn’t let us go to the toilet for hours,' she said. 'If we complained, they would say, 'If you cooperate, you can leave sooner. ' We couldn’t get our hands on period pads. We had to buy them, but we had no money, nor would they take money from our family. ' Another woman, Kosar Eftekhari, was also arrested and charged with various offenses, including 'propaganda against the state' and 'blasphemy. ' A month after Mahsa Amini's death, Kosar was shot in the genital area by a riot squad officer with a paintball gun, and moments later, she was shot in the eye, resulting in her losing sight in that eye. The shocking incident was recorded and shared on social media. Despite her injuries, Kosar became more active online, making her a target for increased surveillance. During her trial, the prosecutor used hundreds of her social media posts, including pictures of her without a hijab, as evidence against her. Kosar was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and was banned from using social media and smartphones for five years. To avoid serving her sentence, she fled to Germany, where she now advocates for Iranian women on a public platform. Earlier this year, she spoke to the United Nations about her experiences and what they termed 'crimes against humanity. ' The UN stated that 'no one should be jailed for a peaceful post online. ' We reached out to the Iranian government regarding the claims made by the individuals we interviewed, but they did not respond. The commander of Iran's riot police has previously denied that his forces intentionally shoot protesters in the face. The Iranian government has long suppressed protests and what it considers subversive activities, increasing its control over people's lives online. They have frequently shut down the internet and reportedly used phishing techniques to hack into people's phones and access their data. Many popular social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Telegram are blocked, but many Iranians have found ways to bypass these restrictions using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The recent wave of protests has largely spread through these platforms, but as a result of the government's surveillance, tens of thousands of protesters were arrested in the initial months. A senior researcher at the human rights organization Article 19, Mahsa Alimardani, noted that most protesters are from Generation Z and have a significant digital footprint, making it easier for authorities to track their activities on social media or through their devices before and during detention. The government has also developed tools to assist in this surveillance, such as an app called Nazer, which allows police and government-vetted volunteers to report women for not wearing hijabs. Additionally, the government has nationalized part of the internet, making it cheaper to access than the worldwide web, but using it requires individuals to hand over personal data to the government. Mahsa Amini's death marked a significant turning point in Iran, and the Woman Life Freedom movement continues to thrive. Alef expressed, 'Now we speak often in our family and friendship circles about our experience of the Woman Life Freedom movement. It’s like the seeds of a flower. Even if a flower withers or dries out, its seeds go on and flower elsewhere.