The Women–Life–Freedom Movement in Iran today

Two years after the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini sparked the Women–Life–Freedom uprising, the courage of Iranian women and minorities continues to expose the brutality of a regime built on repression, misogyny, and systematic discrimination. Yet their struggle also raises urgent questions for us here in Europe: What responsibility do European institutions bear in supporting those who resist authoritarianism abroad? And how do we confront our own democratic backsliding, rollback of women’s rights, and hardening borders against those seeking refuge?

This event, by FEPS in collaboration with the Institute for Geopolitical Analyses and Democritus University of Thrace, taking place in the heart of Brussels, brought these debates into the political space where they matter most. Through the screening of When Women Shake the Sky and direct testimonies from the Iranian activists featured in the film, participants engaged not only with stories of resistance, but also with the demands for meaningful solidarity — from policy, diplomacy, and Europe’s commitment to human rights.

At a time when the EU prides itself as a defender of democracy and equality, the voices of Iranian women remind us that solidarity cannot remain symbolic. This is a call for European institutions, policymakers, and civil society to act together — to stand with those who risk everything for freedom, and to safeguard the same values within our own borders.

This lunch discussion of testimony and debate bridged activism and policy, resistance and responsibility.