Supporting Iran protesters: How to help from the UK

A wave of protests has swept through Iran over the past month following the death of Mahsa Amini, also known by her Kurdish name Zhina Amini. Iran Human Rights estimates that at least 201 protesters have been killed by security forces.

Amini, a 22-year-old woman, was arrested by Iran’s morality police on September 13, 2022, for allegedly violating Iran’s rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab. She died while in police custody, with reports claiming that the police beat her head with a baton.

Protests began with women removing their headscarves in solidarity with Amini, and have since grown in scale, involving people of all backgrounds and spreading across the country.

Here are some ways you can support protestors in Iran. 

If you can, donating money is a powerful way to support the cause. 

The Centre for Human Rights in Iran

The Centre for Human Rights in Iran is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organisation. It is comprised of journalists, researchers, lawyers and activists from around the world who work to support human rights in Iran. They research and analyse issues in Iran and turn their findings into press releases, articles and more. The work they do is really important in raising awareness of human rights issues in Iran. You can donate via their website. 

Mother of Sattar Beheshti, who was tortured to death in Iran in 2012, removes her hijab after 80 yrs "for our young people."

She has never given up her quest for justice, and now is standing for all of Iran’s sons & daughters. #Mahsa_Amini. #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/s8nGDHyHrz

— IranHumanRights.org (@ICHRI) October 18, 2022

United for Iran

United for Iran empowers a network of coders, developers and activists to support Iran through technology, online advocacy and public education. Some of their work includes creating apps like Gershad, which allows women to avoid the morality police. You can donate here.

“People on the streets want secular democracy, they want equality and end to discrimination, they want body autonomy, So, if you want to have all of those things, you cannot have the Islamic Republic.”@Firuzehmahmoudi @The_NewArab #WomanLifeFreedom https://t.co/tEAlVvNsas

— United for Iran / اتحاد برای ایران (@united4iran) October 17, 2022

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights in Iran

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights in Iran documents executions and assassinations in Iran, focusing on the right to life and the right to due process of law. They also amplify the voices of victims of human rights violations, giving them a platform to share their story.  You can donate here.

Information is powerful—a lot of the work that the previously mentioned organisations do is about collecting and sharing information.

As well as your usual news outlets, check in with the organisations mentioned above to get updates about the situation in Iran. They all have news feeds which are useful sources of research and news. Read widely to ensure that your understanding of the situation is thorough.

This petition is calling on the UK government to maintain sanctions and introduce a Visa ban for individuals linked to the Iranian regime. The petition is currently at 26,448 signatures. If it reaches 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

You can also sign Amnesty International’s petition calling for an independent United Nations mechanisms to investigate and ensure accountability for crimes committed under international law in Iran. 

In the age of social media, it can be easy to feel pressure to prove that you care by sharing posts on social media. Social media posts are designed to be concise and easily shareable, which can be a great way to share the bullet points, but it's easy for context to be lost and misunderstanding to ensue.

If you do share posts on social media, be mindful and make sure you are sharing information from a legitimate source. Think twice before you share a post to make sure that doing so won’t inadvertently cause more harm than good.

Read more: 4 Steps to holding a peaceful protest

Read more: How to help Ukraine

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