BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Local community members gathered at the Park at River Walk to protest and stand in solidarity with the people of Iran on Sunday, October 9th.
22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested in Iran on September 13th for allegedly violating dress rules by wearing her hijab "too loosely." According to witnesses, Amini was violently beaten while being forcibly transferred to another detention center. She fell into a coma and died three days later.
Now people around the world and here in Bakersfield have been protesting for women's rights in Iran.
Protester Zachary Bashirtash said that his parents are from Iran and that this protest is important for them to make sure everyone knows about what is going on across the world.
"That's why we're here: To hope that the world will know and understand what is going on and want to be a part of change, want to be a part of sharing and retweeting and posting anything so that the world knows," explained Bashirtash. "So that they can no longer keep and stop the people in Iran from their voices being heard, from the country having the revolution they need, and actually having freedom for the first time in many many years."
He also said that they just want to continue raising awareness because a few days after Amini was killed, the internet was shut off and people in Iran were not able to tell the world what was going on themselves. That is why their goal is to continue making sure this does not go unnoticed or unheard.
