This statement was read at the September 20, 2025 program at Revolution Books in Berkeley cosponsored by the IEC and Revolution Books. See also the IEC Statement to the program.

September 18, 2025

Three years ago, Jina Mahsa Amini, was killed by the notorious morality police in Tehran, sparking a beautiful and inspiring popular uprising against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The bravery of women, the burning of mandatory hijabs, and the echoes of “Death to the Islamic Republic” shook the entire country.

Years of bottled-up grief and anger erupted suddenly out of nowhere. Thousands upon thousands of young women and men, humiliated, beaten, and robbed of their future, poured into the streets with courage and fury. They shouted, “NO! Enough is enough. We are human beings. We want to live.”

Challenging the national oppression of ethnic minorities, and the discrimination condemning all people, including of LGBTQ+ individuals, the unprecedented uprising left the world in awe. People around the world have been exhilarated by the inspiring images of Iranian women fighting against the walls of patriarchy and male supremacy. It gave people hope and inspiration in many corners of the world.

In the struggle of these women, they saw a glimpse of humanity’s enormous capacity to eradicate the oppression and exploitation that surrounds us all and a window into a completely different world.

Women led the way—they led every march, every protest. Young girls burned their forced hijabs, and the movement spread like wildfire. Many heroes were born instantly.

This beautiful uprising resonated not only in the Middle East region but across the world. Many called it “a spark of light in the darkness.” Women in every continent found new hope and in one way or another, millions showed their solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Iran.

During the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, Iran’s regime killed more than 500 people, deliberately blinded many with bullets (made in Germany and other European countries), and several thousand were arrested. Young rebel women such as 16-year-old Nika Shakarami were targeted, raped and killed in the streets.

The repression was more deadly in areas such as Kurdistan and Baluchistan. In Zahedan alone, on a day known as Bloody Friday, 90 people were brutally murdered. High school girls who had taken off their hijab (including in the religious city of Qom, which is considered the Vatican or the seat of Iran’s Shiite clergy) were attacked with chemical gas with a fatwa (a fatwa is a formal ruling issued by religious authorities) all because the people, especially women, rose up against one of the most important ideological pillars of the Islamic Republic, the compulsory hijab, and thus against Iran’s regime as a whole.

Compulsory hijab was the first step in imposing the standards of ancient Sharia law on women, right after the revolution of 1979, the standards of traditional ethics of the extreme patriarchal Islamic system. The hijab is a symbol of the Islamic government over society and declaration of the inferiority of women.

According to Amnesty International, intelligence and security agents have committed horrific tortures; of beatings, floggings, using electric shocks, rape and other sexual violence against children in detention, sometimes as young as 12 years old, including young boys, in order to suppress the passionate spirit of resistance in the Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising.

The regime under Ayatollah Khamenei unleashed a brutal crackdown, and the uprising has suffered a temporary ebb. Execution of political and non-political prisoners has intensified, so much so that every five hours, a young man from the poorest strata of society is being executed. This regime is so despicable that it has used the Israeli genocide in Gaza as an opportunity to commit its own inhumane atrocities; and doubling down on repression of the Kurdish, Baluch, Arab, Afghan, and other oppressed nationalities.

But the reality is that the uprising that shook the four pillars of the Islamic Republic also depicted a vital reality about the entire world and became a sign that humanity is going through an unprecedented era of oppression that should no longer be tolerated. We need to understand the nature of this murderous system and the ways in which they operate worldwide. We need to look at the entire picture—that every incident, every conflict around the world, is shaped by these global forces of capitalism-imperialism and reactionary regimes.

The truth is that the rulers of this exploitative and oppressive system—whether in Iran, the U.S., China, Russia, and Europe—are in deep crisis... We see war everywhere, including war on the environment. These systems are driving the world toward destruction and are trying to sign us up as their cannon fodder. No, we need a new way forward. One based on a scientific understanding and leadership grounded in reason. Without this, we have no chance.

We must learn from our shortcomings and double our efforts. In memory of our fallen loved ones and in the name of humanity, prepare for the coming showdown.

Woman, Life, Freedom

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