A mural inVienna shows a Kurdish woman and the slogan of "Woman, Life, Freedom" (in Kurdish)A sign with the slogan written in Kurdish and English by Iranian protesters at2022-23 Iranian Mahsa Amini protests
The origin of the slogan can be traced to the Kurdish freedom movement of the late twentieth century. The first time that the slogan was used was by members of the Kurdish women's movement, part of the Kurdish freedom movement which was founded on grassroots activism in response to persecution from the governments of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.[7] The slogan was popularized further by Kurdish figures such asAbdullah Öcalan, in his anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal writings.[8] Since its first use, the slogan has been used by members of Kurdish organisations and those outside of the Kurdish movement.[9] This was the slogan of the Kurdish fighters in breaking thesiege of Kobani by theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.[10]
The slogan gained its height in international traction following the internationalization of theMahsa Jina Amini protests across European countries, the United States, and Australia. Prior to that, the slogan was also used by women's rights movements in a number of international gatherings.[11] For example, on 25 November 2015 it was used in gatherings held to markInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in several European countries.[12]
The use of the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" goes back to series of protests following thedeath of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who was arrested and detained by Iran's ”morality police” for failing to properly cover her hair and later died in police custody.[20]
In the protests following Mahsa Amini's demise while under the custody of Iranian authorities, a wave of swift public protests spread. These protests consisted of women defiantly removing and burning their headscarves, cutting their hair, and boldly confronting and fighting against the forces of the authorities. Riots began to form as local leading groups such as "the Covenant" and "Neighbourhood Youth Alliance" began to spread the news online and called for protests. the government, in response, resorted to internet restrictions and shutdowns to stifle the organization of further protests and stop the local leaders. The protestors instead resorted to TV, where the foreign oppositions later spread the rallying cry: "Women, life, freedom," symbolizing the essence of this rapid and transformative movement.[21] Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, these protests presented the most immediate challenge to Iran's regime. The response from the police to the protests resulted in the death of more than 500 civilians and the imprisonment of over 1000.[22]
The slogan was chanted at Amini's funeral inSaqqez and then was spread online by an organization and it became a trending hashtag. Later it was heard in initial protests inSanandaj after the funeral.[23][24][25] On 21 September, the slogan was chanted by students atUniversity of Tehran,[26] and by protesters around the country in the following days.[27][28] On 28 September and the continuation of protests, students atShiraz University of Medical Sciences used the slogan in their protests along with a new, similar slogan: "Woman, Life, Freedom; Man, Homeland, Prosperity".[29] Overnight, the protests spread across 15 cities in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. Police continued to arrest more people and deployed tear gas to scatter the crowds.[30]
Following the expansion of Iranian protests to other cities of the world, rallies were held in different cities with protesters using the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" along with other slogans.[31][32] Due to its expansion to cities around the world, and extensive coverage on foreign media, the French newspaperLibération used an image of Iranian protests with the slogan in Persian accompanied by its French translation.[33][34] It was also used at the closing section of the lyrics for the song "Baraye" byShervin Hajipour, who was detained by police after he received worldwide acclaim for the song. His song "Baraye" was later sung in global protests for Iran on 1 October 2022 in approximately 150 cities around the world.[35][36]
In February 2023 twenty independent Iranian trade unions, feminist groups and student organizations issued a 12-point manifesto.[37] It articulated and elaborated on the meaning of the slogan "woman, life, freedom", seeking an end to oppression, discrimination, tyranny, and dictatorship.[38]
This slogan has been repeatedly used in Turkey bySaturday Mothers.[14] The slogan was also chanted by Turkish protesters in Turkey, when they gathered to protest in front of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 21 September 2022.[39]
Iranian sociologistTaghi Azadarmaki, stated that the slogan is "one of the most rooted desires of the middle class".[41][42]
Iranian sociologistFarhad Khosrokhavar [fr] considers the slogan as "a new shot in the sequence of Iranian civil protests".[43]
SociologistMehrdad Darvishpour [sv] believes that the slogan is "Challenging the violent patriarchal, deadly and authoritarian ruling ideology".[44]
Iranian-American political analystKarim Sadjadpour sees the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" as a counterpoint to the government.[45]
Mohammad Fazeli, Iranian sociologist and professor of sociology believes that in this slogan, woman has a symbolic face and demonstrates the hatred of violence.[46]
^"کام ژن؟ کام ژیان؟ کام ئازادی؟" [Which woman? which life? which freedom?].Iran's Kurdistan Human Rights Watch (in Persian). 5 December 2020.Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved28 September 2022.
^""زن, زندگی, آزادی" شعار زنان جهان شد" ["Woman, Life, Freedom" became the slogan of the women of the world].ANF News (in Persian).Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved28 September 2022.
^"خیزش مردم ایران؛ تیتر اول رسانههای جهان" [The uprising of the Iranian people; The first headline of the world's media].Independent Persian (in Persian). 26 September 2022.Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved28 September 2022.
^ضرغامی, محمد (22 September 2022)."جمهوری اسلامی قادر به مدیریت جامعه برای طولانیمدت نیست" [The Islamic Republic is not able to manage the society for a long time].رادیو فردا (in Persian).Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved28 September 2022.
^"موانع اعتماد عمومي در ايران" [Obstacles of public trust in Iran].Etemad Newspaper. 27 September 2022.Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved28 September 2022.
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