Halsey is condemning the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for wearing the hijab incorrectly.
She was apprehended in Tehran for allegedly wearing the headscarf too loosely and was taken to a re-education center, where she was allegedly beaten to death. Protests have erupted across Iran, with women burning their headscarves.
Halsey has since taken to Instagram to vent their frustrations and fears for the women of Iran. “‘MY BODY, MY CHOICE’ is not a monolith reserved for women of the west. Every woman deserves the right to decide if hijab is their path. Or if it is not.”
“I am devastated about this news and what it means for activists erupting across Iran in response to this tragedy,” they continued. “It is important that these conversations are approached with compassionate nuance. Anger at tyrannical law, and respect for women who DO choose hijab in all regions of the world.”
Halsey added, “There are two simple concepts at hand: it is the choice of the woman.” Halsey argued Amini didn’t deserve to die “for her personal expression of faith or lack thereof.”
“Women are terrified of tyrannical law. This tragedy is not a platform for conversations about secularism that are meant to deny or justify what happened to this woman,” they closed. “Mahsa Amini had no choice. Not even the choice to live or die.”
Halsey ended their statement with, “The world is mourning her with great force.”
Protests calling for the end of the Islamic Republic’s rule have erupted across Iran in the wake of Amini’s death, reports The New York Times. At least seven demonstrators have died in the unrest.
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