On the first anniversary of Iranian activist Mahsa Amini's death, her mother broke her silence to share exclusive details about her daughter's short life with the BBC. What did Morakhn Aftakhari say?
In a recorded call, the grieving mother spoke about "Jina," known in Iran as Mahsa: "After three days of her detention, she was killed in broad daylight in front of everyone under the pretext of violating head covering rules. When she was born, I named her 'Jina,' which means new life, but they told me she might face harassment at school and university because of that name, so we chose 'Mahsa,' meaning beauty of the moon. I loved this name. My daughter was born on October 8, 2020. We called her Jina at home, while 'Mahsa' remained in the records. I had many hopes and dreams for her. Since she was little, she took swimming, music, and drawing lessons. I used to hold her hand to walk to school together. She was about to enroll in university to study microbiology. But before that, we went on a family trip for her to see the capital Tehran for the first time. We didn't know it would be her last trip. Witnesses say she was beaten in custody, but the authorities deny that and attribute her sudden death to a heart attack. She was 22 years old."
The mother concluded: "My daughter danced with the winds, and now her names Mahsa and Jina will fly with the breeze to roam the world. But they are still afraid of her strands of hair. We mothers often burn inside in silence. But I am sure our pains will shake the heavens."
Mahsa Amini died in the hospital on September 16, 2022, three days after being detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating strict head covering laws. Her death sparked the largest wave of protests in Iran since the 1979 revolution, with women around the world, including many celebrities, showing their support by cutting their hair in an act of defiance.
