In Pictures: London stands in solidarity with Iranian women

On September 13, 2022, an Iranian Kurdish woman called Mahsa Amini died under suspicious circumstances in a Tehran hospital. The 22-year-old had been arrested hours before by Iran’s “morality police”, who – according to eyewitness reports and mounting evidence – insulted, beat, and tortured her inside a van. After she was released by the authorities, she was quickly admitted to hospital with unexplained injuries, where she then fell into a coma. Three days later, she died.

Amini’s death has sparked widespread protests across Iran in the weeks since. Most of these are led by women – particularly teenage girls – who stand defiant in the face of an increasingly archaic, brutal regime. These demonstrators have been met with a deadly crackdown by the Iranian government and security forces, who have been using unlawful force to silence them: there have been reports of at least 52 deaths and hundreds of injuries so far. A leaked document obtained by Amnesty also reveals that Iranian troops have been ordered to “severely” and “mercilessly” crush all protests, with new violent and disturbing footage circulating social media every day. 

The world has been standing in solidarity with the women and girls on the frontlines of these demonstrations. On Tiktok, Iranians across the diaspora have been seen cutting their hair in protest of Amini’s killing (as have French actresses, though the effect hasn’t been quite as powerful). And in London yesterday, to mark one month since the 22-year-old’s death, activists gathered outside the Iranian Embassy to remember her, as well as the protestors and bystanders who have been killed in the country’s subsequent demonstrations. “For far too long, the Islamic Republic has enforced their archaic and twisted beliefs on women – and we have had enough,” said Iranian activist Elika Ashoori, in a statement to protest organisers Amnesty International. “The world is watching in horror at the callous violence used against protesters. We stand in solidarity with all the true heroes protesting to end these brutal crimes.” See a few of the photographs from the protest, taken by Megan Tall, below – or view the gallery above for the full selection.