Vienna to Name Street After Jina Mahsa Amini, Iranian Kurd Who Died in Police Custody

The young woman died in Iran last year while in police custody. Her death sparked numerous protests.

Vienna will name a street after the Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini. This was announced by representatives of the governing parties SPÖ and NEOS on Monday at a solidarity campaign. The 22-year-old woman died in police custody last September after being arrested by vice squads for flouting Islamic dress codes. Her death triggered the worst protests in Iran in decades.

Exactly where the road will be is still open. It will probably be a street in the city on the Danube. Formally, the SPÖ and NEOS will bring a resolution at the upcoming municipal council meeting on May 24th that calls for the nomination. There will also be a corresponding application from the 22nd district. According to the two parties, this is the first street in the world to be named after the deceased.

According to a broadcast, Jina Mahsa Amini has become a symbol of the democratic resistance in Iran as a result of a brutal reaction by the Iranian regime. The courageous women and men in Iran deserve recognition and solidarity for their fight for freedom and democracy. It was stressed that many people see police violence and torture as the only plausible explanation for the death of the young Kurdish woman.

“Pictures have been going around the world for months, pictures of women in Iran who are taking their freedom, their rights and their space,” emphasized SPÖ municipal councilor Marina Hanke. Vienna wants to show solidarity with these courageous protesters by guaranteeing the movement a permanent place in the city through Jina Mahsa Amini. “We have to make sure that these courageous people’s cry for freedom, for democracy and respect for human rights does not go unheeded,” said NEOS spokeswoman Dolores Bakos in Vienna.

SPÖ and NEOS also demanded an immediate stop to executions in Iran and the abolition of the death penalty. There were also demands for the immediate release of political prisoners, an end to violence against the population and compliance with freedom of assembly and the freedom of the press. (APA)