An outpouring of women-led protests over the death in detention of Mahsa Amini in September has shaken Iranian society and politics in ways that impact its future trajectory. Young women in Iran are actively rejecting laws that require them to cover their hair and bodies, a symbol of State control, and have been met with bullets, tear gas, and arrests.

Iran’s leaders have predictably blamed the US and Israel for this latest manifestation of homegrown unrest and restricted Internet access to hamper communications among the protestors and with the outside world. But even regime loyalists have criticized the government’s heavy-handed response as more protests are inevitable.

The Atlantic Council’s Future of Iran Initiative invites you to a conversation with Iran human rights activists and other Iran specialists to discuss the impact of the protests and the effect they may have on both Iranian domestic politics and foreign policy decision-making. The discussion will be held via Zoom on Thursday, October 20, 2022, from 12:00 – 1:30 pm ET.

A link to the meeting will be sent to those who register to attend. The event is open to press and on-the-record.

Speakers

Shahrzad Ardalan
Host and Producer
Zendeghee Zibast “Life is Beautiful”

David Des Roches
Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies
National Defense University

Nader Hashemi
Director of the Center for Middle East Studies
Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver

Assal Rad
Research Director
National Iranian American Council

Moderated by

Barbara Slavin
Director, Future of Iran Initiative
Atlantic Council