A Swedish MEP has cut off her ponytail during a speech at the EU assembly in an act of solidarity with women in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.

Women around the world have been taking to social media over the last few weeks to share their hair-cutting videos since the news of Miss Amini‘s death emerged.

Protests in Iran began after the 22-year-old died while in the custody of the country’s morality police.

She was accused of breaking laws that require women to cover their hair with a hijab.

Iraqi-born MEP Abir Al-Sahlani was talking about oppression of women in Iran during the assembly meeting in Strasbourg.

“Until Iran is free, our fury will be bigger than the oppressors.

“Until the women of Iran are free, we are going to stand with you.”

She ended her speech by saying “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” – Kurdish for “Woman, Life, Freedom” – as she snipped off her ponytail and held it up.

Iran requires women to wear the hijab so that it covers their hair completely.

Miss Amini collapsed at a police station and died three days after she was arrested for wearing it too loosely.

Iranian police say she died of a heart attack and was not mistreated, but her family have cast doubt on that account.

Thousands of women across the world have been cutting their hair – a movement now spreading to celebrities, politicians and campaigners.

French actresses, including Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Isabelle Huppert, have also taken part.

58-year-old Binoche, who has appeared in films such as The English Patient, Chocolat and Godzilla, was seen in video footage clipping off a handful of her hair and declaring: “For freedom.”

In the video posted by soutienfemmesiran (Support for Women of Iran), text was shown which read: “Mahsa Amini was abused by the morality police until death followed.

A post shared by SOUTIEN FEMMES IRAN (@soutienfemmesiran)

“All she stood accused of was wearing her veil in an inappropriate manner.

“She died for having a few locks of her hair exposed.”

Read more:
Who was Mahsa Amini?

Last week Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe cut her hair to show her support for the women of Iran.

The British-Iranian citizen, who spent six years in jail in Iran, recorded a video of herself taking a pair of scissors to her hair.

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