Woman, life, freedom movement: dynamics of a movement in progress

Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a young Kurdish woman who had travelled to Tehran to visit her family, died in the custody of the morality police on 16 September 2022 for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Her death provoked outrage across the country. An image of her in the hospital where she lost her life, and a handwritten sign on her grave 'you have not died, your name will become a code', quickly went viral. Months of nationwide protests by hundreds of thousands followed her death. Thousands were arrested and injured. Hundreds were killed on the streets and a number of protesters were executed. This article discusses the emergence of the movement, its transformation, achievements and challenges.