A woman, standing in the middle of the at-first quiet crowd, leveled the silence with a simple request.
“Say her name,” Mahsha cried.
And they did. Hundreds gathered in Pioneer Square in Portland Saturday to support Iranian women’s rights, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, which sparked international outrage and protests in Iran.
The protesters The Oregonian/OregonLive spoke with at the event asked that their last names not be used because they feared for the safety of their family members in Iran.
The crowd shouted Amini’s name. She was arrested in Tehran by the “morality police” – a dedicated police unit that enforces strict dress codes for women – and went into a coma while in custody. She died a few days later on Sept. 16. Officials claim Amini had underlying health conditions and died of a heart attack, but many in Iran and across the world suspect police killed her.
People gathered in downtown Portland to show support for their friends and family in Iran, where citizens are protesting in dangerous conditions for women’s rights. Mahsha said Amini’s death was the last straw after decades of oppression.
“It was a little spark,” she said. “But the anger has been there for the past 43 years. We lost so many lives. We fight so many fights. I think this was the final spark to make people come out.”
Mahsha said that many in the crowd had family members in Iran, and that they came to the U.S. to escape unfair treatment.
“Some of them have been here for 40 years,” Mahsha said. “They are still mad. This is nothing compared to what they are doing in Iran, though. All we are doing is using a small drop of courage to say, ‘We did not forget you. We did not walk out of there and stop caring.’”
Demonstrators chanted “we have not forgotten” in Farsi and “women, life, freedom” as they marched down Southwest 5th Avenue. The group walked the block and returned to Pioneer Square.
Iranian human rights groups have reported over 80 people killed amid response to the protests in Iran, which have spanned three weeks, according to The Guardian. Hundreds have been arrested, including athletes, celebrities and journalists. Fear of deadly retaliation from the Iranian regime similar to 2019, which resulted in as many 1,500 deaths according to The Guardian, are high.
Parissa, whose mother and aunt are still in Iran, came to protest the Iranian government’s unjust treatment of women and violations of human rights, she said.
“This is the time for being true to who you are,” Parissa said. “Not just as Iranian women, but as people awakening.”
For many in the crowd who are from Iran, it offered some hope to see so many people gathered in support, Daria said. Even though he’s far from the conflict, he said the turnout was inspiring.
“I have family friends in Iran that are fighting in the streets, and I wanted to support them even though I’m so far away,” he said. “The people in Iran will see the videos and will know that they aren’t alone.”
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; (503) 319-9744
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Hundreds gather in Portland to support Iranian freedom - OregonLive
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