Mahsa/Jina Amini, 22

Artist: Ford Hickson

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On 13 September 2022, Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran for “improperly” wearing her hijab. She was placed in detention where she was beaten into a coma and died three days later.Jina was a kind, sweet young woman from Saghez, the Kurdistan province in Iran. The Kurdish minority suffer from huge discrimination by the regime. Mahsa’s Kurdish name is Jina; the name her family and friends knew her by. Her parents could not register this Kurdish name and in her official documents she is called Mahsa.  Her death, became a symbol of Iranian oppression. Her face, and her story, are now known around the world.

Say Their Names

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Say Their Names is an art collective project to remember the Iranian people killed by the regime.

At least 678 protesters have been killed since demonstrations swept Iran in September 2022. 93 among the dead were below the age of 18. 

Most of these fallen heroes, have their bodies buried late at night by the regime so their memorial does not turn into yet another protest. Their families have been under pressure to say they have died due to ‘natural causes’ or have killed themselves. Even in their death they cannot be honoured by their families.

These memorial portraits are made by artists, in the medium of their choice to ‘say their names’ and remember them.