A new period began in Iran following the death of Jîna Emînî on 16 September 2022, three days after she was detained by the Morality Police for allegedly violating the mandatory dress code by improperly wearing her headscarf. The “jin, jiyan, azadî (Woman, life, freedom)” resistance, led by women against the regime’s oppression and bans, quickly spread across the world.

 

The struggle later also led to the unification of women’s organizations under a common platform. Nîna (Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Organization), Horizon of Kurdish Women, the Women’s Struggle Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, the Democratic Women’s Union of Iranian Kurdistan and the Free Women’s Community of East Kurdistan (KJAR) came together under the “Women of Eastern Kurdistan Platform – JÎNA” and agreed on a joint struggle.

 

The platform defined its main goal as uniting women’s intellectual and political strength and fighting against all forms of gender-based, national, cultural and class discrimination directed at Kurdish women in Iran, while linking the women’s rights struggle with the national liberation struggle.

 

KJAR Foreign Relations Committee spokesperson Rozerîn Kemanger spoke to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the pressure faced by women in Iran and the resistance against it.

 

Rozerîn Kemanger emphasized the importance of the platform, saying: “Not only calls are necessary, but also practical reflections of those calls. We must act in a way worthy of the women who gave their lives for freedom in the streets.”

 

‘JIN, JIYAN, AZADÎ’ RESISTANCE        

 

Drawing attention to the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran, Rozerîn Kemanger said the conflict did not emerge suddenly and that every actor involved has its own interests.

 

She argued that although Iran’s policies have shifted over the past decades, its internal repression and regional interventionist policies in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria have remained unchanged.

 

“However, the main war carried out by the Iranian regime has been against its own society and people,” she said, adding that the system weakened once it began targeting society directly.

 

Rozerîn Kemanger stated that Iran became particularly weakened after the “jin, jiyan, azadî” resistance. “The essence of Iran’s social structure is resistance, rebellion and objection,” she said, recalling previous uprisings in the country. According to her, the women-led uprising transformed into a broader social movement because the issue of women in Iran is not merely a gender issue, but also a question of existence for society itself.

 

“Women led the entire process both theoretically and practically. They brought society into the streets and awakened it to rebellion,” she added.

 

‘WITHOUT WOMEN’S FREEDOM, SOCIETY CANNOT BE FREE’

 

Stating that “society cannot be free unless women are free,” Rozerîn Kemanger said the Iranian Islamic state is built on a male-dominated, centralized and authoritarian structure, while the “jin, jiyan, azadî” movement is based on youth, women and society.

 

“Two very sharp lines confronted one another, and ‘jin, jiyan, azadî’ prevailed,” she said, describing the movement as evidence of a major social awakening.

 

‘IRAN MUST DEMOCRATIZE’

 

Rozerîn Kemanger said the regime has intensified repression as resistance has grown, particularly against women. “There is a severe situation in prisons and nobody knows what is happening there,” she said, adding that the regime has become politically exhausted and unable to produce solutions.

 

“A weakened and collapsing regime now faces a society that is organized, dynamic and ready to resist,” said RozerînKemanger and added: “Iran must democratize, otherwise people cannot continue living under such a system.”

 

‘WITHOUT WOMEN’S UNITY, THE REGIME CANNOT CHANGE’

 

Rozerîn Kemanger pointed out that Kurdish organizations and later women’s organizations came together under a common umbrella following the war. “In every resistance movement and uprising, we have seen that without women’s unity, neither a regime nor a society can change,” she said.

 

She stressed that women in Iran share common problems and therefore must create common solutions together. “KJAR does not approach women’s issues individually. The women’s question is beyond politics,” she said, emphasizing that the organization is in contact with different women’s groups across Kurdistan, Iran, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

 

Rozerîn Kemanger stated that women continue to lead resistance in the streets, prisons and every sphere of life in Eastern Kurdistan.

 

She concluded: “We have hope, and this hope is becoming reality. Freedom in Rojhilat will come under the leadership of women.”

 

MA / Adnan Bilen