Jina Emini (July 20, 2000, Saqqiz, Eastern Kurdistan – September 16, 2022, Tehran, Iran), known in Persian as Masha Emini, was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iranian morality police on September 13, 2022, on the grounds that her headscarf was not properly covered and was tortured by the same forces during her arrest. Jina Amini died on September 19, 2022, in Kasra Hospital in Tehran, as a result of the blows inflicted on her head by the same police officers.
Jina Emini is a Kurdish woman from the city of Saqqiz in Eastern Kurdistan. Jina grew up in an intellectual family. Jina Amini travels to Tehran with her family to visit her relatives in Tehran.
After leaving Tehran, at 6 pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, while she was with her brother, she was arrested by the so-called “morality police” for wearing a hijab and taken to the police station for counseling and instruction in wearing a hijab.
After being taken to the police station, according to statements from women who were at the morality police station with Jina Emini at the same time, Jina Emini was severely beaten by the same forces that arrested her and her head was hit with batons (police batons). Due to the blows to the head, Jina Emini fell to the ground on the evening of September 13, 2022 after losing consciousness due to a headache, and was referred to Kasra Hospital.
Emini’s family stated that there was a disturbance during their daughter’s arrest and that the security officials beat her brother. Emini’s aunt said:
“Jina Emini’s brother was there and when he tried to stop his sister from being arrested, they threw tear gas at him and beat him too.
The women who were detained with Jina Emini stated that Jina resisted the insults and insults from the police who arrested her and suffered severe beatings.
Two hours later, her brother received information that Jina had been taken out of the police station by ambulance. It was reported that Jina had been beaten by the Iranian police and that Jina Emini had suffered a brain hemorrhage due to the blows she received to the head. Her brother Kiaresh saw bruises and marks on Jina Emini’s head and legs.
A number of doctors have reported that Jina Emini has a brain injury based on clinical signs, including bleeding from the ears and bruises under the eyes. Tomography of Jina’s head The images of Emini, which were extracted from hospital computers by hacktivists, show a skull fracture, hemorrhage, and cerebral edema.
Her father, Emjat Emini, stated that during the diagnosis of his daughter, only her face and legs were shown. Her family was not allowed to examine Jina’s body for signs of injury. Her father states in his statement that Jina Emini had wounds on her legs and face. When her father asks the doctors about the wounds on her legs and face, they reply, “We will look into it and let you know.” So far, the Iranian authorities have not shared the report on the causes of the injuries on Jina Emini’s body with her family.
Jina Emini died three days later on September 16, 2022, at Kasra Hospital.
Protests were held in many cities after Jina Emini’s death, including in her hometown of Saqqez. In the early days, a group of Tehran residents gathered near Kasra Hospital and chanted slogans such as “Death to the dictator”, “Morality police are murderers”, “I will kill those who killed my sister”, “We swear by your blood, Mehsa, Iran will be free”, “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is null and void” and “Oppression of women from Kurdistan to Tehran”. After the death of Jina Emini, demonstrations and marches increased day by day in different cities and spread throughout Iran. The end of this popular uprising is known throughout the world as the “Women’s Lives, Freedom” Revolution.
