Taraneh Alidoosti: Top Iranian actress poses without a headscarf in support of protests

Top Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti posted a picture of herself on her Instagram account without wearing a headscarf (hijab) in support of nationwide anti-hijab and anti-regime protests which began after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman in September.

The top actress is famous for her role in "The Salesman", which won an Academy Award in 2017. The actress posted a picture holding a sign which read, "Woman, Life, Freedom" in Kurdish.

The statement is a popular slogan in the ongoing protests. The biggest protests in three years have posed one of the biggest challenges to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 revolution. 

While posting a picture, Alidoosti also wrote a poem that read, “Your final absence, the migration of singing birds is not the end of this rebellion.”

Since the beginning of the protests on September 17, at least five female Iranian actresses have posted pictures of themselves without wearing the mandatory hijabs in solidarity with the protests. 

Earlier, Alidoosti posted many posts on social media criticizing Iran and the establishment of the country. 

Amini died on September 16 at a hospital in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The morality police arrested her on September 13 allegedly for not wearing “appropriate attire.” After her funeral ceremony on September 17, huge protests erupted across the country. Many people demanded the downfall of the regime and the government. 

People chanted  "Woman, Life, Freedom" across the country. They also burned billboards of top Iranian leaders to protest against Mahsa Amini’s death. They blamed the Iranian morality police and security forces for Amini’s death. Many human rights activists blamed the Iranian authorities for murdering Amini. Amini’s family also accused the morality police of beating Amini with a baton at the detention center. However, Iranian authorities denied all the allegations leveled against them.