The European Parliament held an award ceremony in Strasbourg on 12 December in recognition of Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran. Amini died in custody in September 2022 after being arrested by Iran’s “morality police” for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. Her death sparked protests demanding more women’s rights in the country.
Amini’s family were represented by their lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, as they were banned from leaving Iran and could not attend the ceremony. Iranian women’s rights defenders Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar, both of whom left Iran in 2023, represented the protest movement.
“The courage and resilience of Iranian women in their fight for justice, liberty and human rights will not be stopped. Their voices cannot be silenced and while they are not here today, their presence will be felt,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola when opening the ceremony.
Saleh Nikbakht read a message from Jina Mahsa Amini’s mother, Mozhgan Eftekhari: “Jina is the incarnation of life, she became a secret code for freedom and spread the dream of liberty from her birthplace, Kurdistan, all over Iran, the Middle East and the world.”
Watch the full recording of the ceremony
Watch our live interview with Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar
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