Iran held parliamentary elections on Friday. Voter turnout may have been at a record low.
These were the first elections held since the 2022 crackdown on nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Mahsa Amini died in September 2022 after she was beaten and arrested by Iran’s morality police. She was in public and allegedly in violation of the country’s strict headscarf law. Some reports say she wasn’t wearing one. After her death, protests began. Soon calls to overthrow Iran’s clerical rulers began. Human rights activists in Iran claim that over 500 people were killed and about 20,000 people have been arrested since a severe crackdown on protests began.
The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement continues today. Iranians began 2024 with a renewed effort by the regime to restart the practice of flogging women who refuse to wear the…
