Green MP cuts hair at protest of Iranian woman’s killing

Kiwis have gathered in Wellington today to protest in a show of solidarity with women in Iran.

Rallies were organised across the country amid intensifying protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini.

More than 100 Kiwis attended the 11am protest in Wellington to mourn Amini's death. Several women including Green MP Golriz Ghahraman cut their hair off - a Kurdish grieving tradition - in an emotional display.

Organiser Hanna Habibi said today's Wellington protest was staged to "strongly condemn the oppressive and discriminatory treatment of women in Iran.

"We demand equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, codified in law, and applicable to the social, political and economic spheres of our country," she said.

"We have had enough. It's important to support Iranian women, they've been so brave, they've been fighting forever and its important for us to stand next to them and for the world to show solidarity.

"It means the world to them, it means they're being seen, it means they're being heard, and that's important."

Habibi emphasised the protesters weren't anti-hijab.

"We respect hijab, we want everyone to respect those who choose not to wear hijab."

There were calls for the New Zealand Government to condemn the Iranian regime's treatment of women.

MP Ghahraman, an Iranian-Kiwi refugee, acknowledged the bravery of protesters in Iran in a speech to the Wellington crowd.

"The courage that women in Iran are showing right now is breath-taking," Ghahraman said.

"They are facing torture and death, they have been killed and tortured for this, and they persist."

Ghahraman said she was "really disappointed that our Government has not made any kind of a statement on what's happening in Iran."

Protesters are also expected to rally in Auckland's Aotea Square and Christchurch's Cathedral Square this afternoon.

Mahsa Amini, 22, was detained by the Guidance Patrol, the country's so-called morality police, for allegedly violating the strict Islamic dress code by wearing her mandatory hijab too loosely. She collapsed while in custody and died in hospital on September 16.

Authorities claimed her coma and subsequent death were due to pre-existing health problems. Amini's family have rejected this, saying the 22-year-old was healthy, and she had sustained head injuries and bruising before she died.

Amini's death has sparked widespread outrage toward the Iranian regime, with women taking to the streets in Iran to burn their headscarves and cut their hair off in protest.

AUT senior law lecturer Dr Lida Ayoubi said Amini's death comes amid escalating violence and aggression by the morality police in Iran.

She says the Guidance Patrol used to be women who approached other women to "have a little bit of a chat and try to guide them into sort of fixing their hijab or dressing more appropriately."

"Over time, they've become more aggressive," Ayoubi said.

"What's happened again, recently, is that during those arrests, or while people are in custody, they've also been subjected to beating or torture, and maltreatment or degrading treatment."

Ayoubi says some believe the morality police serve to distract people from political unrest.

"Maybe there is really high inflation, or the government has implemented a policy that people are not happy with, then they crack down more severely in order to draw attention to that issue for a while."

The occurrence of women being mistreated while in custody is not uncommon, Ayoubi said. However, Amini's death marked a refusal to allow the violence get swept under the rug.

"This is the first time where there's been evidence of it, or there's been photos that have been circulated, the family has decided not to stay quiet."

The protests have been followed by internet and social media blackouts. Human rights group Amnesty International have reported security forces using violence to disperse the protesters, with at least nine people killed already.