The image posted by Taraneh Alidoosti (that’s the name of this actress) is going around the world, relayed for 24 hours on all social networks. The image published by the young woman on her Instagram account shows her without a veil, hair free to move, facing the camera. And with a sign on which the words Jin, Jian, Azadi are written. Woman, life, freedom. This is the main slogan of the protest, since the death, in mid-September, of Mahsa Amini, killed by the morality police for having worn her veil askew. Taraneh Alidoosti is 38 years old, she is famous throughout the country, and abroad, for having played in about twenty films, in particular in the achievements of the great director Asghar Farhadi, The Client, The Separation and also in the film Leila and her brothers presented at the last Cannes Film Festival.
She has eight million followers on her Instagram account. The actress is all the more courageous as she lives in Iran, she did not choose exile and does not intend to do so. She says she wants to stay in her country and is ready to “pay the price”. She also announced her intention to stop working for the time being, in solidarity with the victims of the repression, and in particular the many artistic personalities arrested in recent weeks.
It is not an isolated act. The dispute therefore continues, after two months. It remains difficult to take the measure of the movement, since the journalists cannot work on the spot. But social networks continue to shower us with numerous videos that testify to the continued mobilization. No big demonstrations. But many sporadic gatherings, piecemeal, initiated at the last minute. In several cities of the country: in Mashad, in Bandar Abbas, in Tehran of course. And the big game is now, in the middle of the street, give a quick jerk in the turban carried by the mullahs to bring him down, then to run away at full speed. It is a clear sign of anger against religious power. The challenge is also expressed by the voice of the athletes. Iranian national teams are increasingly wearing a black parka during the official Iranian anthem during competitions. And a few days ago, during a beach soccer competition, an Iranian player pretended to cut his hair after scoring a spectacular goal against Brazil. In short, everything is good for expressing distrust.
But opposite, the power does not move a millimeter: the logic of the Iranian religious leaders has not changed. It is repression. There have already been nearly 400 deaths and more than 15,000 arrests. The Pasdarans, the Revolutionary Guards, are not going to change their reasoning: their legitimacy is at stake. And for them, all these demonstrations are manipulated from abroad. 227 of the 290 deputies ask to apply “the law of Talion” against the demonstrators. Several elected reformers called for a referendum on Wednesday November 9 to end the crisis. But it is unlikely that this call will be heard by the authorities.