Iran: Women, Life, Freedom

On September 13th of last year, 22-year-old Jina “Mahsa” Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for violating its strict Islamic dress code. She was allegedly severely beaten and died three days later while still in police custody. This triggered protests across the nation led primarily by women who tore off their hijabs, cut their hair and adopted a rallying cry of “women, life, freedom.” Today, a full 125 days later, we take a closer look at this protest, the Iranian government’s response, and its implications for Canada, and the rest of the world. Our first guest, Professor Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi from the University of Toronto, will get us up to speed on the protests, the second guest, Lily Pourzand, will highlight the role of women in this ongoing struggle, and finally, Professor Ali Dizboni will shed a light on the broader security perspective. 

 

Guests:

 

Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi - University of Toronto

 

Lily Pourzand - Sandgate Women’s Shelter

 

Ali Ghanbarpour-Dizboni - Royal Military College of Canada

 

Producers:

 

Nikoo Tajdolat - Junior Producer

 

Ibtesaam Moosa - Junior Producer

 

Connor Fraser - Executive Producer