Happy International Women’s Day!
March 8, International Women’s Day, symbolizes the ongoing struggle of women against injustice, inequality, and discrimination—challenges that still persist in human society. Women have always been subjected to injustice, discrimination, and exploitation more than men.
In Iran, under the rule of the Islamic Regime, women not only suffer from the systemic injustice, discrimination, and inequality inherent in class-based systems but also from tradition, religion, and patriarchy. They are harassed, persecuted, arrested, tortured, and executed by the regime.
Just two weeks after the 1979 revolution, Khomeini ordered the repeal of the Family Protection Law and mandated compulsory hijab. By doing so, he positioned himself above the law and lawmakers, diverting the revolution before it could take root and branding society with the seal of tyranny and dictatorship. He declared that female employees of the government must wear the Islamic hijab to “preserve their dignity.” Following this statement, on March 8, 1979, women who showed up for work were denied entry and told to return home and come back wearing headscarves. However, instead of going home, they took to the streets. The protests lasted for six days, successfully delaying the enforcement of compulsory hijab. This six-day demonstration, which postponed the mandatory hijab, was one of the most important days in the history of the women’s movement in Iran and the fateful events of the 1979 revolution.
The 1979 revolution was one of the largest and most glorious popular uprisings in Iran’s history, bringing an end to the Pahlavi dictatorship. With the fall of the Shah’s regime, the Iranian people—especially women—aspired to achieve their fundamental rights and freedoms and to build a new society. However, the revolution was hijacked and derailed by the reactionary religious forces led by Khomeini.
The Islamic Republic deliberately focused on the oppression and discrimination of women as a tool to suppress broader freedoms and establish a climate of fear and repression in society. Yet, despite the restrictions, systematic oppression, arrests, and gender apartheid, Iranian women have never surrendered. Their resistance and struggle have only intensified throughout the dark rule of the Islamic Republic.
Women have played a leading role in shaping popular movements. Even government officials have acknowledged that women were at the forefront of the uprisings in December 2017 (Day 1396) and November 2019 (Abane 1398), acting as “leaders” and playing a decisive role.
Young women and girls led the revolutionary movement of Woman Life Freedom alongside young men and boys. They fought bravely, challenged gender apartheid, and paid the ultimate price—hundreds of them were shot in the heart and eyes by the regime’s brutal forces. Women in this movement removed and burned their hijabs, and despite the regime’s repressive tactics and coercive measures, they have refused to comply with mandatory veiling and continue their resistance.
The Association of Iranian Political Prisoners (in Exile) congratulates the International Women’s Day to resistant and freedom fighting women of Iran, especially the working women who are always under the knife of exploitation and gender discrimination.
Iranian Political Prisoners Association (in Exile)
March 1, 2025