A year after the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, protesters rallied in Sydney’s Hyde Park in solidarity and calling for greater freedoms for women in Iran.
NSW Greens members Mehreen Faruqi and David Shoebridge spoke at the Sydney rally on September 16 condemning Iran’s regime.
Rallies were also held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne and Perth.
In September 2022, Amini was detained in Tehran by morality police over wearing “improper hijab”, and died in custody.
Iran’s coroner later linked her death to a “pre-existing medical condition”, but witnesses claimed she was beaten and her family said she was fit and healthy before her arrest.
Mahsa Amini’s death in custody sparked demonstrations around the world.
In Iran the protests targeted symbols of the Islamic Republic and the country rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy.
This year, Iranian authorities sought to prevent the anniversary from reigniting the protests.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia stood in solidarity with the people in Iran and the new [Australian] sanctions would target those who oppress women and girls.
“While the protests may have subsided, the suffering has not,” she told parliament.
“Women and girls in Iran still face systemic persecution, sexist discrimination continues to be entrenched in Iranian law and in practice.”
