American-Iranian protesters marched through Downtown Pittsburgh today as organizers in more than 130 cities across the world called attention to the recent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Pittsburgh organizers of the “Be the Voice” rally asked people to show up “to join voices, and show the Iranian people, especially Iranian women that they are not alone; that we hear them and we support them,” according to a release about the event.
Amini reportedly died after being arrested and beaten for improperly wearing her hijab. Her death has set off a series of uprisings against the Iranian regime, which runs the country according to strict Islamic teachings.
“I have suffered under this brutal regime first-handed and I migrated to the USA as I could not see myself living in Iran, wearing the compulsory hijab, pretending that I practice a religion that I no longer believe in, and being afraid of imprisonment for free expression of my thoughts,” says organizer Maryam Saeedi.
Saturday’s protest in Pittsburgh followed an event on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University last week, where about 100 gathered to light candles in honor of Amini.
“We have a brutal regime,” said an organizer of last week’s event. “It’s not our choice; it seems like they have invaded the country.”
This morning’s protest included a march through heavy rain, and actions from participants including a burning of a hijab and one protester cutting their hair in front of the City-County Building.
This article appears in Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2022.
