Woman, Life, Freedom · Zan, Zendegi, Azadi

Culture of origin: Iranian · Historical

Holiday sources: Bakhtiari · Baloch · Iran · Kurdish · Lur · Mazandarani · Persian Gulf Coast and Islands · Talysh

Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, was arrested by the morality police over her hijab; eyewitnesses said she was severely beaten, which the authorities denied. Her death set off the largest protests in Iran since at least 2009, with women removing their headscarves and cutting their hair. Iran Human Rights verified 551 protesters killed by state forces in the first year, most by firearms or batons, with the highest tolls in Kurdish and Baluch regions.