Montrealers march on 1-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death

Hundreds gathered in Montreal Saturday to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year.

She was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law.

Amini’s death on Sept. 16, 2022, sparked worldwide protests – including many in Montreal – against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy.

“People in Iran have been fighting relentlessly since one year as best as they could,” said Yalda Machouf-Khadir, a member of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. “Many have lost lives, many are still in prison. It’s important to understand that they need the international community’s help and support to be able to achieve this revolution.

“Since the beginning of the current uprising, it has created a strong sense of community amongst Iranians both inside and outside the country.”

Chanting “femme, vie liberté,” crowds holding portraits of Amini and waving Iranian flags gathered at McGill University’s Roddick Gates.

“People are gathering as they can to express that they are still here and still committed to overthrow this regime,” said Machouf-Khadir.

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Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman from the western region, died three days after she was arrested by morality police, allegedly for violating laws that require women to cover their hair in public. While authorities said that she suffered a heart attack, Amini’s supporters said she was beaten by police and died as a result of her injuries.

Her death triggered protests that spread across the country and rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. Authorities responded with a violent crackdown in which more than 500 people were killed and in excess of 22,000 others were detained, according to rights groups.

“I’m married to an Iranian and I got to learn what’s life there through him and all his relatives living there,” said Montrealer Sergio Crespo-Garcia. “I can just not look away from that terrible situation.”

Quebec Senator Julie Miville-Duchêne attended the protest to show support.

“In the Senate, we’ve passed motion denouncing the repression, asking for more sanctions to be taken, and asking also for the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) to be considered a terrorist organization,” she said.

“As parliamentarian, as Canadian, we have to show solidarity. Especially because there is repression, especially because now we see less demonstrations.”

The demonstrations indeed largely died down early this year, but there are still widespread signs of discontent. For several months, women could be seen openly flaunting the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.

“We’re all affected by what’s happening in our home country,” said Machouf-Khadir. “We are all in pain. But we also have a lot of hope because we see the courage of the people inside and we see the support that all the diaspora is giving.

“For instance, women not wearing their hijab or men wearing t-shirts and shorts to go out in the streets. It may seem like little actions, but it tells a lot in Iran.”

—With files from The Associated Press