Dutch Resistance Museum opens Iran exhibit ahead of global protest day
Today, the exhibition Woman, Life, Freedom – Iranian women’s resistance opens in the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam. The exhibit, which celebrates “ the strength and resilience of women and other Iranians who, despite great risks, resist oppression and inequality,” opens one day before a global action day in solidarity with Iranian protesters.
The current protests are a continuation of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which erupted after the Iranian military police killed 22-year-old Jina Masha Amini at the end of 2022 for not wearing her hijab correctly. The exhibit in the Dutch Resistance Museum highlights the diversity of this movement, which spread worldwide, and places this resistance within a historical context.
“The Woman, Life, Freedom movement fights for equal rights for women and for freedom and equality for all Iranians. Precisely because women are often the most oppressed group, their struggle forms the heart of a broader resistance movement,” the museum wrote.
Protests against the Irianian regime erupted again across the country in late December 2025. They started with demonstrations against the worsening economic crisis and rising inflation, but quickly escalated into broader protests against the authoritarian system. The Iranian regime violently cracked down on the protests, killing thousands of protesters, but so far, it has been unable to stop them.
On Wednesday, the Iranian-American human rights organization HRANA reported that in the past 46 days, 7,002 people had been killed in the protests - 6,506 protesters, 214 members of law enforcement, and 66 civilians who were not protesting. HRANA is still investigating another 11,730 reported deaths. In the same period, 25,022 civilians have been injured and 52,941 arrested.
Protests have also spread through the Iranian diaspora worldwide. Iranian opposition symbol Reza Pahlavi has named Saturday, February 14, as a global day of action to show solidarity with Iranian protesters. He urged Iranians across the globe to “take to the streets and compel the international community to take urgent, practical steps in support of the Iranian people.”
