The family of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year old woman whose tragic killing sparked nationwide protests in Iran, has been barred from traveling to France to collect a prestigious human rights award in her honor. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Amini's parents and brother were prevented from boarding a flight at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on Saturday and their passports were confiscated.

Amjad Amini, Mahsa's father, expressed his frustration in an interview with London-based Iran International, stating that the family was not given any reason for the sudden travel ban. Despite informing the authorities of their plans well in advance, they were only made aware of the ban when they arrived at the airport.

Meanwhile, their lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, was granted permission to travel to Strasbourg, France, where he will collect the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded to Mahsa Amini. This highly esteemed award serves as a testament to her courage and the significance of her story.

Mahsa Amini, also known by her Kurdish name, Jina, tragically lost her life while in the custody of Iran's Morality Police. She was accused of breaching the country's strict dress code for women, known as the hijab. Her death became a catalyst for widespread protests that shook the nation for months, with Iranians from diverse backgrounds voicing their discontent on the streets.

The imposition of travel bans is not uncommon in Iran, serving as a tool to prevent activists like Mahsa Amini's family from gaining international attention for their cause, stated Gissou Nia, an Iranian-American human rights lawyer and analyst at the Atlantic Council. Nia added that the Iranian authorities were keen to avoid the optics of a bereaved family shedding light on the brutality of the Morality Police on an international stage, fearing it would expose systemic issues within the country.

Amini's father, Amjad, experienced further hardships on the anniversary of his daughter's death, as he was detained during a massive security presence that aimed to prevent large-scale protests and rallies.

The slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom," which emerged during the protests following Mahsa Amini's death, encapsulated the demand for far-reaching reforms throughout Iran. The slogan represented not only a call for women's rights or the abolition of hijab enforcement but also a plea for fundamental changes in a nation dominated by hardline clerics since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Iran continues to witness crackdowns on free speech, press freedom, LGBTQ rights, dress codes, public displays of affection, and artistic expression. HRANA reports that since the protests, at least 19,000 have been arrested, and the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights confirms the execution of seven individuals linked to the demonstrations, with others remaining imprisoned and facing the possibility of execution.

Despite the regime's attempts to suppress dissent, Mahsa Amini's name and the enduring symbolism of her death and the associated slogan remain firmly anchored within Iran's human rights movement.

During the recent Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, another Iranian woman, imprisoned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, was honored. Defying her own confinement, Mohammadi's daughter, Kiana Rahmani, began her speech with the words "Zan, Zendegi, Azadi" - Farsi for "Woman, Life, Freedom" - paying tribute to her mother's unwavering dedication to the cause of human rights in Iran.