Niloofar Sabzevari is worried for her sister.
The Louisville resident’s sibling lives thousands of miles away in Tehran, Iran, where violent protests have erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman arrested by the country’s “morality police” for not properly covering her hair as strict laws require.
The Iranian government has restricted internet access in response to the unrest, cutting off communication between Sabzevari and her sister. And as the protests continue, Sabzevari fears the worst.
But she hasn’t given up trying to help.
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For weeks, Sabzevari and other Iranian immigrants have organized protests across Kentucky, bringing attention to the overseas uprising and calling on U.S. politicians to take a stand against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“We want real justice for this girl,” said Sabzevari, 46. “And the justice doesn’t exist in Iran because everything is under control of the regime.”
Local protesters have held four demonstrations since Amini died in mid-September and are planning another from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at the intersection of Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road.
Some also traveledto Washington, D.C., last weekend for a march to the White House, joining a movement for women’s rights that is reverberating in cities across American and around the world.
Naeim Torkian, who has helped organize the Louisville protests, said people in Iran cannot demonstrate peacefully without fear of being killed, so others must condemn the regime on their behalf.
At least 244 people, including 32 children, have died amid Iran’s ongoing unrest — numbers that should make anyone pay attention, said Amir Amini, a University of Louisville professor who has participated in local protests.
“No one should stand by while teenage girls and children are beaten and killed simply because they want to dress a certain way,” said Amini, who is not related to Mahsa. “… Imagine a George Floyd happening daily at a massive scale. No one with a conscious should stay silent.”
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Shirin Bolhari, 34, was born in Tehran at the tail end of the Iran-Iraq War and moved to Louisville with her parents and brother in 2002.
The family left the country when Bolhari was 9. And had they not, she would have been subjected to “atrocious treatment of women and an oppressive government that is now even further trying to suffocate its people.”
During a visit to her homeland as a teenager, Bolhari said her mother was terrified of the “morality police” and worried what would happen if her daughter was detained.
“Every woman is Mahsa Amini and in another life I could have been her,” Bolhari said. “… Sadly, that could happen to any woman in Iran.”
Supporters of the demonstrations are using the phrase “women, life, freedom” to call attention to oppressive laws in Iran, including rules that prevent women from riding a bike in public, playing musical instruments and wearing hijabs to cover their hair, Torkian said.
Some women have taken videos of themselves cutting their hair in protest, while others are posting calls to action on social media — giving a voice to people who typically go unheard.
“The beautiful people of Iran have been mistreated and stifled for far too long, and now they are being killed for basic human rights,” Bolhari said.
Amini, the U of L professor, said American legislators can assist women in Iran by condemning the actions of the Islamic Republic, using U.S. satellites to improve internet connectivity in Iran and seizing all assets of those responsible for ongoing “femicide.”
Sabzevari added anyone can support Iranian women by posting online and drawing attention to the issues.
“Every morning my wish when I open my eyes and look at the social media, is I see people are free from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” she said.
You can reach culture and diversity reporter Jason Gonzalez at jgonzalez1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @JayGon15NYC.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Iranian protesters in Louisville: Give us justice for Mahsa Amini
