protest heartache

Stunning images of women flood the world as we join Iranian women protesting the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in hospital on September 16 - three days after being pulled off the streets of Tehran by morality police and taken to a re-education center for lessons in modesty. 

May our hearts, thoughts, and prayers overflow with our Iranian sisters who have risen up in fury and solidarity over the death of Mahsa Amini. Women on the streets are now putting their own lives on the line in protest over this woman’s needless death.

art by Leni Antipina, UK

Mahsa was only 22 years old - visiting the capital from the Kurdish area of Iran. She was detained for improperly wearing her hijab - showing too much of her hair. She was severely beaten and died shortly afterward.

This singular act has polarized the women of Iran who have taken to the streets in epic protest - burning their hijabs, cutting their hair, endangering themselves. Protesters shout over and over - “Jin. Jiyan. Azadi.” Women. Life. Freedom. The world stands in solidarity with the women of Iran.

on Instagram

“To me, art is all about making people think. I like to be a mirror to my society, to show them how they behave and how they think.” ~ Newsha Tavakolian

With an innate ability to capture the essence of humanity in remarkable ways, Tavakolian encourages her viewers to think in relation to their experiences and feel the emotion of each moment she captures. 

#MahsaAmini protests in Iran with Rana Rahimpour & Jon Stewart

As a self-taught photographer, she began working professionally in the Iranian press at the age of 16. Since then, she has photographed and covered humanitarian tragedies around the world, including countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, capturing ordinary life in the wake of conflict.

image credit - Newsha Tavakolian

Something catches at our heart - causing us to consider and question what we are forced to witness. Jin. Jiyan. Azadi. Women. Life. Freedom. Women of the world unite!