4 Years After Amini’s Death, Community Gathers to Remember Those Still at Risk of Iranian Crackdown

SYDNEY—Members of the Australian Iranian community gathered in Sydney to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman who died after being apprehended by Iran’s para-military service.

Amini, 22, was detained in Tehran by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) “Guidance Patrol” in 2022, due to perceived non-compliance with Iran’s strict compulsory hijab laws.

The young woman was severely beaten in custody, passing away three days later on Sept. 16 from head trauma.

Iranian officials claimed Amini died from a heart attack, but leaked scans showed she had been beaten, with the U.N.’s Fact-Finding Mission concluding she had suffered physical violence in custody and that Iranian officials had caused her death.

Local Persian community members held the event at Sydney’s Martin Place to also remember those executed or at risk of execution by the IRGC.

“We are here to honour all of them with their memories and share their names …” said Marjan Haghighi, a research project manager at New South Wales Health.

“And we hope that our message resonates with Australians because they share the same values such as human rights, freedom, and a fair go.”

The Australian government designated the IRGC a state sponsor of terrorism in 2025, just months after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) revealed it had evidence the regime was responsible for coordinating terror attacks on Australian soil.

ASIO pointed to arson attacks on Jewish targets including the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, and the Lewis Continental Kitchen catering service in Sydney.

Iran’s ambassador was also expelled from Australia.

“We want to say that the Islamic republic regime is not representative of the Iranian people in Iran,” Haghighi later told The Epoch Times.

“They are a terrorist organisation, and we are doing all of this because we want to show the world that there is a difference between Iranian people and the Islamic Republic regime—they are not representative of us at all.”

PhD candidate Alireza Mohammadi said Australians should be concerned about overseas regimes given the willingness of the IRGC pay proxies to act on their behalf.

“Some people of Iran living in Australia… have reported some potential or suspected situations or people who are affiliated with the regime of Iran,” he said.

“It’s not reasonable when somebody who supports terrorists in Iran, who supports the killers … the Islamic barbaric regime … living here in free country, democratic country, but they are affiliated and get paid by the brutal regime who massacres, who suppress the people.

Mohammadi said besides expelling Iran’s ambassador, the Canberra embassy should also be shut down.

Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a statement in support of the people in Iran.

“Australia stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression,” the statement said.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilising force, through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation.”

Earlier this year, the Albanese government said it stood with the Iranian people.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilising force, through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation,” said a joint statement by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Meanwhile, Sydney-based engineer Alireza Shaolin, who moved to Australia in 2023 on a protection visa, said the local community wanted to preserve the memory of Amini.

“The impact of this lady’s death was like a spark in a huge fuel tank, which turned into big protests back in Iran,” he said.

After Amini’s death, Shaolin said many women defied the regime’s strict hijab rules.

“We want the Australian government to cut the hands off [the] IRGC in Australia, all around Australia, Australia’s capital, Sydney, Melbourne, wherever they have hands, and cut all the financial axles of the IRGC,” he said.

An important step, he says, would be the invitation from the federal opposition to Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to visit Australia.

The Epoch Times contacted the Iranian embassy for further comment.