JINA Movement 2022 ("Woman, Life, Freedom")
Category: Protests & Movements · Last updated: July 2026
Summary
After the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022 while in the custody of Iran's morality police, nationwide protests erupted under the slogan "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (Kurdish for "Woman, Life, Freedom"). In March 2024, the independent Fact-Finding Mission of the UN Human Rights Council concluded that Amini's death was "unlawful" and caused by physical violence for which the State is responsible.[2] In suppressing the protests, at least 551 people were killed according to consistent figures from the UN Mission and the organisation Iran Human Rights, among them at least 49 women and 68 minors.[2][3] The UN Mission concluded that crimes against humanity were committed during the crackdown.[2][5]
Background
Iran has had a legal veiling requirement for women since 1983, enforced among others by the so-called morality police (Gasht-e Ershad). Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran on 13 September 2022 for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. She collapsed in custody and died three days later, on 16 September 2022, in a Tehran hospital.[1][5] The authorities attributed her death to heart failure; her family and witnesses disputed this account. The later UN investigation rejected the state's version.[2][5]
The protests built on earlier waves (including 2009, 2017/18 and 2019) but differed in the central role of women and schoolgirls and in their spread across the entire country: the UN Mission documented deaths in 26 of the 31 provinces.[2] Many women removed their headscarves in public, which the UN investigation classified as an act of civil resistance against discriminatory laws.[2]
Timeline of events
- 13 September 2022: Jina Mahsa Amini is arrested by the morality police in Tehran; she collapses in custody.[1]
- 16 September 2022: Amini dies in hospital. First protests in Tehran and in her home town of Saqqez (Kurdistan Province).[1]
- From late September 2022: Protests spread across the country, driven above all by women, young people and members of ethnic minorities.[2]
- 30 September 2022: "Bloody Friday" in Zahedan (Sistan-Baluchestan Province): according to the UN Mission, security forces kill around 104 protesters and bystanders, mostly men and boys.[2]
- October 2022: UN human rights experts call for an independent international investigation of the crackdown.[1]
- 24 November 2022: In a special session, the UN Human Rights Council establishes the independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.[2]
- 8 December 2022: Mohsen Shekari becomes the first person detained in connection with the protests to be executed; 74 days passed between arrest and execution.[4]
- 2023: By the first anniversary, Iran Human Rights documents at least 551 killed protesters and 22 suspicious deaths; in 2023, eight people are executed in connection with protests.[3][6]
- 18 March 2024: The UN Fact-Finding Mission presents its report to the Human Rights Council: Amini's death was unlawful and the crackdown included crimes against humanity.[2][5]
- September 2025: Three years after the crackdown, Human Rights Watch notes continued impunity for those responsible.[7]
Documented human rights violations
The UN Fact-Finding Mission collected over 27,000 items of evidence and conducted 134 in-depth interviews with those affected and witnesses.[2] It documented the use of war weapons (including AK-47s) against protesters and targeted shots at close range to the head, torso and in particular the eyes. Hundreds of people suffered severe eye injuries, many were blinded.[2] More than 22,000 people were arrested in connection with the protests; the Mission also documented sexual violence against detainees.[5] The Mission further received reports of the use of artificial intelligence and mobile apps to monitor compliance with hijab rules.[2]
Reactions
International
In November 2022 the UN Human Rights Council established an independent investigative commission whose mandate has been extended several times.[2] Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the crackdown and demanded international accountability mechanisms.[7][8]
Domestic
The Iranian government described the protests as foreign-directed "riots" and stated that 54 members of the security forces had been killed; the UN Mission took note of this figure.[2] No independent domestic investigation into the death of Jina Mahsa Amini or the deaths during the protests took place.[2][7]
Context and consequences
Iran Human Rights attributes the sharp rise in execution figures since 2022 to a state strategy of intimidation after the protests (see article Executions in Iran since 2023).[6] At the end of December 2025 a new nationwide wave of protests began, followed by another violent crackdown; it is the subject of a separate article yet to be created.[8]
Evidence & sources
- OHCHR: Iran: Crackdown on peaceful protests since death of Jina Mahsa Amini needs independent international investigation, press release, October 2022.
- UN News: Iran: Repression continues two years after nationwide protests, 18 March 2024 (report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the UN Special Rapporteur to the Human Rights Council).
- Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO): One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths, September 2023.
- NPR: Iran carries out first known execution of a prisoner arrested in recent protests, 8 December 2022.
- PBS NewsHour: Iran is responsible for the 'physical violence' that killed Mahsa Amini in 2022, UN probe finds, March 2024.
- Iran Human Rights / ECPM: 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, April 2026.
- Human Rights Watch: Iran: Impunity Reigns 3 Years After Crackdown on Protests, 16 September 2025.
- Amnesty International: What happened at the protests in Iran?, January 2026.
Linked testimonials
No linked testimonials yet. Anonymous reports can be submitted via the Testimonials page.