The “heroines of the year 2022” are Iranian women, according to Time

O “Heroes of the Year 2022” are Iranian womenby the way, this year they received the prestigious award from Time magazine, which today also elected Ukrainian President Zelensky as person of the year.

The choice fell on the women of Iran for his involvement in the protests in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Mahsa Amini while in moral police custody due to a lock of hair sticking out of the hijab, the obligatory Islamic headscarf.

“Iranian girls are on the streetslead an educated, liberal, secular movement, created with high expectations and hungry for normalcy”, writes Time columnist Azadeh Moaveni, explaining the choice and adding that among the claims underlying the women’s protests are “universities and foreign travel, decent jobs, the rule of law, access to the Apple Store, a meaningful role in politics, the freedom to say and use anything”.

“Among the many reasons why the rebellion has dragged on for so long is the stuttering response from a government that recognizes the legitimacy of the denunciation. There are old revolutionary elites and a system that has completely lost its way, it can no longer subsidize its traditional social base, has alienated everyone else, including religious ones, and has subordinated the well-being of its citizens to security,” Time continues in its analysis.

The non-profit organization Iran Human Rights estimated that at least 458 people have been killed since the protests began, including 63 children. Despite the violent repression, however, demonstrations continue across the country.

“The regional and broader reverberations of the Iranian girls’ uprising could not be more seismic. In neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, countries where violence against women is endemic, activists held up posters of their Iranian sisters. Feminists around the world, especially in Europe and Latin America, see what is happening in Iran as a reference point for their struggles”, concludes Time.