Women talk about situation in Iran at Kinodrom

These are images that are going around the world: Women who take to the streets in Iran to fight for their right to free self-determination and their dignity. On Tuesday, January 10, there will be a screening of the film "Persepolis" in the Bocholt Kinodrom, and afterwards women from Iran will talk about their fate and the situation in Iran.

"On this evening, visitors can talk to courageous women who stand up for women's rights in their home country," says Bocholt's Equal Opportunities Officer Astrid Schupp. The women's group that will be visiting Bocholt on January 10 comes from Cologne - Schupp herself has approached Iranian women from Bocholt, but the fear about consequences for their own families in Iran is often great.

To the background

Since September 19, 2022, people in Iran have been taking to the streets and raising their voices against an oppressive regime at the risk of their lives. They shout: "Down with dictatorship" or: "Jin, Jîyan, Azadî," in German "Frau, Leben, Freiheit." The feminist slogan in Kurdish stands for the current revolt of the population against the government.

It is not new: It has been used by the Kurdish feminist movement in Iran and in other Kurdish areas for decades. But never before has it received such broad support in Iran, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, and class.

Origin of the protests

The nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran were triggered by the death of Jîna Mahsa Amini (Emînî), a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd. She fell into a coma in police custody a few hours after she was arrested by the so-called morality police in Tehran. Her headscarf did not cover her hair according to regulations, according to the accusation. Amini died three days after her arrest.

Since then, protests have grown larger and more violent. The young generation in particular is rebelling against the regime and launching actions on the streets and online. Women and also men in the country are cutting off their hair, internationally people are doing the same as a sign of solidarity. Taking off the headscarf in public has also become a symbol of resistance, because in Iran it is a criminal offense. The hijab requirement represents a life controlled by the state.

Thousands of women in custody

People in Europe are also taking to the streets as a sign of solidarity, many with printed illustrations from the web or pictures of Jîna Mahsa Amini. The protests of recent weeks also relate to the aggressive actions of the "morality police" against women, which have intensified in recent months. According to the human rights organization HRANA, between the beginning of spring and mid-July 2022, 1,700 women were in police custody in Kermanshah province alone for not properly observing the hijab.

Admission on January 10 will be from 7:15 pm. Starting at 7:30 p.m., there will be a welcome and a brief introduction to the topic. The film "Persepolis" will be shown from 8 p.m., after which there will be an open exchange of experiences with Iranian women.

The event is organized by the Department of Culture and Education, the City Library and the Equal Opportunities Officer of the City of Bocholt. Tickets for the evening are available on the website of the Bocholt Kinodrom.