As December 2017 was coming to a close, the simmering wave of discontent took on a sharp turn and erupted into radical anti-government protests which shook the earth underneath the clerical regime and overshadowed all other issues. On December 28, some 10,000 people took to the streets of Mashhad, the second largest city of Iran in the North East, to protest against skyrocketing prices while the general public’s purchasing power is next to nothing. By the year’s end and in a matter of only four days, the protests spread to over 100 cities all across the country. The first day’s “death to Rouhani”- “death to the dictator” rapidly changed to “death to Khamenei” and other slogans directed at the mullahs’ supreme leader from the second day on. Most remarkably, women are actively engaged everywhere, in every protest, confrontation and venture. Women have demonstrated tremendous courage, fearlessly confronting armed security forces despite being empty handed, encouraging others to not fear and carry on, inviting everyone to join the protests, leading the chants of “death to the dictator”, tearing down the images of Khamenei in every city and fending off security forces trying to apprehend young protesters. The women of Iran are resolved to turn the page of their country’s history in the 21st century and they deserve the support of all freedom-loving people of the world. The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran urges all women’s rights advocates and freedom lovers to support the courageous struggle of Iranian women and support its campaigns including those for the release of women political prisoners in Iran.
Prison Memoirs of Azam Haj-Heydari from the book The Price of Being Human — Part Twenty-Three After enduring more than seven months of imprisonment in the “Cage” ward,...
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