Woman Life Freedom

Woman Life Freedom (in Persian: Zan, Zendegi, Azadi) is the protest movement that erupted across Iran in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died on 16 September 2022 after being detained by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly. The resulting demonstrations lasted several months, spread to 160 cities, and were met with a violent crackdown that human rights organisations documented as resulting in over 500 deaths and more than 22,000 arrests.

The movement's slogan — Woman, Life, Freedom — was originally a Kurdish political phrase (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi in Kurdish) but became the defining rallying cry across ethnic and class lines in the largest protest wave in the Islamic Republic's history. Its core demands were the abolition of compulsory hijab, Regime change, and accountability for security forces. The diaspora movement spread to over 150 cities worldwide, generating sustained pressure through the UN Human Rights Council, targeted EU sanctions, and street protests that continued into 2024.

By May 2026, the movement's legacy continues to generate executions: Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a Kurdish barber arrested on 22 October 2022 during the protests, was hanged at Urmia Central Prison on 3 May 2026 — one of at least 22 political executions Hengaw recorded in six weeks of the Iran conflict. The executions of protest-era detainees during wartime conditions have attracted renewed international attention, as the dual crackdown runs simultaneously with military operations abroad.