Priyanka Chopra has also extended her support on social media. (file)
Tehran:
Amidst the ongoing turmoil in Iran, actress Priyanka Chopra has come out in support of Iranian women protesting the death of Mehsa Amini.
Mahsa Amini was arrested on 13 September when she was leaving Tehran metro station with her brother and other relatives. She was arrested for violating Iran’s strict rules for women wearing a hijab headscarf and modest clothing. Mahsa was in a coma for three days, then died “of natural causes”, as claimed by the authorities, but according to activists, the cause of her death was a fatal blow to the head.
Following the incident, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the past two weeks to protest the death of Mahsa Amini. Women around the world have shown solidarity with the plight of Iranian women by cutting or shaving their hair in public at rallies and demonstrations, or while being filmed.
Like many other women, Priyanka Chopra has also extended her support on social media.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote, “Women in Iran and around the world are standing up and raising their voices, cutting their hair in public and protesting many other forms of protest for Mahsa Amini, whose young life was so ruthlessly snatched away by the Iranian morality police. For wearing her hijab ‘wrongly’. “
She continued, “I am amazed by your courage and your purpose. It is not easy to risk your life, to challenge the patriarchal establishment and fight for your rights. But, you are courageous women who do it every day. No matter what you do. Cost yourself.”
Priyanka urged the officials and those in power to listen to the cries of the protesters and understand their problems.
“To ensure that this movement will have a lasting impact, we must listen to their cries, understand the issues and then engage with our collective voice. We must also get all that can affect others as well. Numbers matter. Add your voice to this important movement. Stay informed and vocal, so that these voices are not forced to remain silent anymore. I stand with you. Jin, Xian, Azadi… Women Life, liberty,” he added.
Before Priyanka, Elnaaz Norouzi has also shown her support for Iranian women.