CGRS Stands with Iranian Women Demanding Justice

The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) stands in solidarity with Iranians protesting the senseless death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and demanding an end to state-sanctioned discrimination and violence against women and girls.  In recent weeks thousands of Iranians have courageously taken to the streets, including women’s rights activists, students, journalists, and artists. Iranian state security forces have responded with brutal force, killing, injuring, and detaining protesters en masse. The full scope of the government’s deadly crackdown has likely been obscured by rolling internet blackouts.

“CGRS was founded to defend the rights of women fleeing persecution perpetrated or enabled by their governments. As advocates for women’s rights and human rights, we have watched the atrocities in Iran unfold in horror,” said CGRS Legal Director Blaine Bookey. “Our hearts are with the brave Iranian women and human rights defenders putting their lives on the line to demand justice. The Biden administration must stand with them, continue to forcefully condemn the Iranian government’s human rights abuses, and use every tool at its disposal to hold the Iranian government accountable.”