ANKARA - Stating that she has been pressured by the "morality police" many times since she was a child and Iranian female student N.R. said: "Iranian women left men in the background and started a revolution."
 
In Tehran, the capital of Iran, 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jîna Mahsa Amini was tortured to death by the "morality police" on the grounds that she did not cover her head in accordance with Islamic rules. The protests, which started after Amini's death on September 16, spread to all regions of Iran under the leadership of women.
 
N.R., who came to Turkey for education and faced the "morality police" many times in her country since childhood, spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about the protests in Iran.

THERE IS NO INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM
 
Stating that women do not have individual freedoms in Iran, N.R. said: “I was warned by the morality police for the first time when I was 13. A verbal report was kept and explained that I will never go out with my hair like this again. Morality police were on every street, especially during Ahmadinejad's time. In general, there are 3-4 women and two men with burqa. Women have always warned me in the events. Men cannot touch women according to the sharia law, when women show resistance, they use force. At the age of 16 I was also arrested by the morality police, and this time taken to execution. At the time, I also resisted a little. There was no physical contact, but the male morality police stepped in and shouted at me, 'sit down, we'll take you'. I cried because I was young, they left early. Many of the girls they take spend the night there and are brought to court. When this event is repeated three times, a criminal record is created. They can take it away very easily just because your hair is a little out.

SOCIAL PRESSURE ON WOMEN

Stating that morality police always look for families and that this creates a social pressure on women in small cities, N.R. said: “70 percent of those who go abroad from Iran prefer to go abroad because of these restrictions. This has been very effective for me as well because I personally experienced this event many times. That stress wears out one's youth. Even if they do not use physical force in the events I have experienced, their behavior is so humiliating that one feels bad. They act so humiliating that you do nothing, just because your hair is a little out, that you inevitably get tired of it. This is just a small event. They have a lot of sanctions, such as whipping. women's lives are greatly restricted in Iran, N.R.. You're going out for coffee with your friend in the afternoon, and you can't even do that in a normal mood because the morality police could catch you at any moment. It can be in the car or on the street. They can break into a cafe and detain you. There was always stress and pressure on women.”

WOMEN STARTED A REVOLUTION
 
Stating that she was touched by the struggle of Iranian women, N.R. said: "In the second week of the Iranian revolution, Ruhullah Humeyni said that women have to cover themselves with hijabs. This also coincided with March 8. Thousands of women gathered at Tehran University and protested against this regime. Then they did not remain silent. It's so impressive that women take care of each other so much. A woman is trying to take another woman from the hands of four or five cops. In Kurdistan, a woman stops while she is driving with her child in the car and tries to take a man away from the police, leaving her child in the car. I am proud of the strength and courage in these women. They left men in the background and started a revolution and are continuing it. There have been actions like this before in Iran, but none of them lasted this long or spread around the world. Of course, men also have support, but women have achieved this. I am very proud. Even though I can't do anything from here, all my prayers are with them. Mahsa was Kurdish, but the whole region stood up. It's nice that the whole country is acting together. People from all over Kurdistan, Tabriz and Tehran have revolted.”

'THIS HAS TO BE LIVED FOR CHANGE'
 
Stating that she could not communicate with her family after the internet connection was cut off, N.R. said: “I just sat and cried because I missed my mother. I couldn't reach her at the time. 2-3 weeks ago I could talk to my mother whenever I wanted. But right now it is unclear when we can talk. We can talk sometimes, but at that moment I missed my mother, I wanted to call and talk and I couldn't. Although we come to a different country, our hearts always remain in Iran. Your friends and family are there and you always have a connection. Even if you are tired of it, it is your country. The people who were killed are all my brothers and their pain is very different. Such incidents happen almost every two or three years, and each time we feel very sad. I guess these things have to be lived for change. Hopefully we will succeed this time and we will see good days."