Obamas praise the 'Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests'

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How should US respond to Iran's rising revolution?

Former State Department deputy special envoy Ellie Cohanim speaks on why US-Iran relations should change amidst nationwide protests on 'The Next Revolution.'

Barack and Michelle Obama released a statement on Tuesday praising the Iranian protesters who have taken to the streets in recent weeks over the death of a 22-year-old woman last month while in the custody of the regime's so-called morality police. 

"On this International Day of the Girl, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests," the Obamas said in a statement. 

"The rights they seek are universal: equality, the ability to make their own choices about how they look and dress and express their identities, and the freedom to do so without facing harassment, intimidation, and violence."

Former President Barack Obama, right, and former first lady Michelle Obama appear at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago.  (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Protests are entering their fourth week over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab on Sept. 16. Police say she collapsed while in their custody, but her family says that her body showed bruising consistent with being beaten. 

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Thousands of women and girls have marched in the streets throughout Iran, with some of them ripping off their own headscarves in protest. 

Iran's government has violently cracked down on the demonstrations, leading to the deaths of at least 185 people, according to Iran Human Rights. 

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Barack Obama has been accused by some U.S. lawmakers of failing to support Iran's "Green Movement" when he was president in 2009. Protesters took to the streets for months during that movement to call for the removal of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. 

A man gestures during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police," in Tehran, Iran Sept. 19, 2022.  (West Asia News Agency via REUTERS)

Protesters chant slogans during a protest over the death of a woman who was detained by the morality police, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sept. 21, 2022.   (AP Photo, File)

President Joe Biden, who was Obama's vice president, has spoken out more forcefully in support for the current wave of protests in Iran, pledging to increase internet access as the regime seeks to censor access to social media and other platforms. 

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The Obamas said Tuesday that the protesters are "delivering a powerful message that injustice should not be tolerated." 

"We are in awe of the Iranian girls who have played such a leadership role in insisting that the future be different from the past, and that Iranian women enjoy the full rights and opportunities that they deserve," the Obamas said.