Woman, Life, Freedom

Woman, Life, Freedom (Kurdish: ژن، ژیان، ئازادی, romanized: Jin, Jîyan, Azadî) is a popular political Kurdish slogan used in both the Kurdish independence and democratic confederalist movements. The slogan became a rallying cry during the protests which occurred in Iran as a response to the death of Mahsa Amini.

The phrase rapidly became a universal rallying cry, symbolizing resistance against oppression and the fight for women's rights.

The origin of the slogan can be traced to the Kurdish freedom movement of the late twentieth century. The first time that the slogan was used was by members of the Kurdish women's movement, part of the Kurdish freedom movement which was founded on grassroots activism in response to persecution from the governments of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. The slogan was popularized further by Kurdish figures such as Abdullah Öcalan, in his anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal writings. Since its first use, the slogan has been used by members of Kurdish organisations and those outside of the Kurdish movement. This was the slogan of the Kurdish fighters in breaking the siege of Kobani by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria.

The slogan gained its height in international traction following the internationalization of the Mahsa Jina Amini protests across European countries, the United States, and Australia. Prior to that, the slogan was also used by women's rights movements in a number of international gatherings. For example, on 25 November 2015 it was used in gatherings held to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in several European countries.

On 20 September 2022, the slogan was chanted by Afghan women in a protest in support of women protesting in Iran.

Several hundred members of the University of Toronto community held a vigil at Convocation Hall in September 2022 to mourn Mahsa Amini. The vigil was especially poignant for the University of Toronto community, remembering the loss of several members in Flight 752, shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in January 2020. Speakers at the vigil, including Iranian women's rights activist Azam Jangravi and others connected to Flight 752 victims, condemned the violent regime and called for an end to gender-based harassment and violence, including against LGBTQ+ people. The vigil also highlighted the fears of those in the Iranian diaspora about returning to Iran and underscored the broader movement against the regime's oppression, emphasizing the involvement of queer individuals in the struggle for freedom and rights.

In 2018, during Cannes Film Festival, the cast of Girls of the Sun chanted "jin jiyan azadî". The slogan was later printed in Persian on the first page of the French newspaper Libération in September 2022 following protests against the death of Mahsa Amini.

On Saturday 22 October 2022, tens of thousands of people converged in Berlin to express solidarity with Iranian protesters, motivated by the death of Mahsa Amini. Organized by the Woman-Life-Freedom collective, the demonstration started at the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten park and moved through central Berlin, with Berlin police estimating the participation at around 80,000. Protesters displayed the Iranian Lion and Sun flags and placards condemning Iran's regime, echoing the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" in English and German. A highlight was a speaker urging the international community to expel Iranian ambassadors and avoid negotiations with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticizing the rapid and harsh treatment of dissidents in Iran. Additionally, the protest saw participants from various parts of Germany and Europe, indicating a widespread support network. Amidst calls for social solidarity and other causes, the Berlin protest underscored the global resonance of Iran's ongoing struggle for freedom and rights.