The General Command of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) released a statement marking the second anniversary of the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, who was detained and tortured to death by the ‘morality’ police in Tehran on 16 September 2022. Jina Amini’s death sparked an unprecedented rebellion in Iran and Eastern Kurdistan. This rebellion was called ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’. Iranian forces killed hundreds of people and arrested thousands during the uprising. Many were executed. Human rights groups say the Iranian government uses the death penalty to suppress public outcry.

The YPJ statement released on Monday includes the following:

“On the second anniversary of the murder of Jina Amini, which sparked the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprisings that began in the city of Saqqez and spread across all of Eastern Kurdistan and Iran, we respectfully and gratefully remember Jina Amini and all the martyrs of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution.

Over the past 50 years, Kurdish women, through their relentless struggle, resistance, and stance against the patriarchal and authoritarian system, have achieved great gains for women. One of the main fronts of this struggle is the resistance against the male-dominated system, inspired by Leader Apo’s (Abdullah Öcalan) ideology of women’s freedom, which has resulted in women adopting this ideology and establishing organizations, defense forces, cooperative systems, and the science of Jineology (women’s science).

Women, based on the foundation of a democratic confederal society, are building their confederal system and, with strong unity among all peoples, are waging a radical struggle against patriarchal culture, male-dominated nation-states, and male-dominated armies.

One of the key arenas of this struggle is Eastern Kurdistan and Iran, where women face a repressive, nationalist system and male hegemony, which deprives them of even their basic rights. Although the Iranian revolution was the result of the joint struggle of peoples and women, it was later crushed and manipulated by a group of authoritarian men, who imposed a uniform language, religion, sect, and ethnicity.

Against this, Kurdish and Iranian women have resisted for decades. From prisons, schools, and universities, to economic, political, cultural, and health arenas, women continue their fierce struggle. The male-dominated regime of Iran, in turn, responds with intolerance and harsh measures against this determined female resistance.

Jina Amini was brutally tortured by a regime of this kind. The murder of this young Kurdish woman unleashed massive dissatisfaction. Jina Amini’s body was buried, but the slogans of “Woman, Life, Freedom” spread from Saqqez across Eastern Kurdistan and Iran, igniting a significant wave of uprisings. These protests confronted the regime with intense resistance. Thousands were killed, many were detained, and countless women were injured. Today, thousands remain imprisoned in Iran. However, this does not mean that the public’s dissatisfaction with the anti-democratic regime has ended, nor that the spirit of the women’s uprising has been extinguished. The “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising will continue to grow under the leadership of women, striving for social equality and driven by the philosophy of resistance.

As the Women’s Protection Units, we continue our defense struggle with the essential will and vision of women against all forms of male-dominated regimes, ideologies, and attacks. We affirm that women’s struggle in every part of the world is unified in its vision, and its outcomes will lead to women’s liberation. With this awareness and responsibility, we reiterate our support, especially for the struggle of women in Eastern Kurdistan and Iran, and more broadly, for the struggle of women everywhere. We call on Kurdish women and the people of the region to strengthen the revolution of freedom by embracing the philosophy of “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Death to the male-dominated system! Long live the unity of women! Woman, Life, Freedom! Long live Leader Apo!”