JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan. Zendegi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
And also
Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran  2022-'24
and the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in
2024: March wk1 -- Feb wk5 part3 -- Feb wk5 part2 -- overview per month
and 2023: Dec wk 5 part 2 -- Dec wk 5 -- Dec week 4-3 -- Dec wk3 -- Dec 17 - 10 -- Dec week 2 and 1 -- click here for a menu overview November - Januari 2023

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February 19, 2024: Noteworthy by G. d'A.: concerning the below topics from here on all news will be embedded in either the actual news coverage or in a headlined title with a link to the full report or to ' The dance 'round the gallows' news.

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 When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.


"My vote is regime change"

4 March 2024 - Past-election preface by G. d'A.
If there is one word that in all its dimensions describes the mullahs' regime lead by khamenei it is SHAM which pops-up again and again whether speaking about corruption, arbitrary arrests of protesters of all walks of life, death-penalty verdicts by hatefull shia judges and more crimes against humanity that in all depict the regime as a whole. But... it was to be expected that the freedom-loving people of Iran would vote for a "our way or go away" i.e. "My vote is regime change". The following report is a clear NO in a nutshell:

Iranwire - 5 March 2024 - by PEZHMAN TAHAVORI
<<Record-Low Voter Turnout Signals Shift in Iranian Politics Amid Rising Dissent
Last week's elections in Iran have set a significant precedent with a record-low voter turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought clerical rulers to power. At approximately 40 percent, the turnout figure contrasts sharply with previous elections, where it often soared above 55 percent and sometimes even reached 75 percent. While such a turnout might be deemed acceptable in Western democracies, its implications in Iran are profound, highlighting a widening gap between the Islamic Republic and the people. The drop in civic participation speaks volumes to policymakers and observers: Mahsa Amini's death in custody has worsened the divide between the government and the people. Amini died in police custody on September 16, 2022, after her arrest for <improper> hijab. Her death sparked the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, resulting in months of protests.
Is the 40 Percent Turnout Real?
In Iran, doubts persist among political observers regarding the accuracy of voter turnout figures released by the country's election authorities. This skepticism arises due to the absence of an independent election commission, with elections being administered by the government and overseen by the politically-aligned Guardian Council. Appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the Guardian Council's close ties to the government raise concerns about potential bias and collusion in reporting statistics. The lack of international election observers and restricting non-governmental organizations from monitoring the electoral process further compound these doubts. Consequently, many question the validity of the reported 40 percent turnout, suspecting the actual participation rate to be lower. Notably, in Tehran, Iran's political hub, voter turnout stood at approximately 20 percent, reflecting widespread discontent with the country's political system. Unlike in smaller towns, where factors like familial and ethnic rivalries may influence turnout, Tehran's low participation underscores broader concerns regarding the legitimacy of Iran's government.
Why Did Iranians Boycott Elections?
In the past two decades, Iranians have sought to voice their discontent by engaging in electoral processes, often by voting for opposition candidates in a bid to challenge the government's grip on power. At times, these efforts led to the removal of government-favored candidates from elected positions. However, the government's persistent ineffectiveness and the systematic disqualification of reformist individuals from running for office have rendered the protest voting largely futile. Since 2019, Iranians have increasingly opted to boycott what they perceive as controlled and manipulated elections. The government's failure to address the grievances of the populace has only reinforced this trend.
Significance of Election Boycotts
Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran and prominent figure in the reformist movement, made a notable decision: he boycotted the elections and declined to participate. This marked the first instance of such a move, signaling a shift in the reformists' approach to Iran's politics.
Just a year earlier, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, former prime minister and leader of the Green Movement who had been under house arrest following the 2009 elections, had issued a statement advocating for constitutional reform and a transition to democracy in Iran. Khatami's election boycott following Mousavi's statement underscores a growing determination among reformists to engage in a more assertive confrontation with the government. This development sets the stage for a distinct and pronounced division between supporters and opponents of the Islamic Republic.
The routine disqualification of former presidents and speakers of parliament from participating in elections has become commonplace in Iran.
However, the official boycott of elections by such prominent figures was previously unheard of. Khatami's decision to break this taboo is significant, and it may pave the way for other political figures to follow suit in future elections, challenging the legitimacy of the electoral process and signaling a deeper dissatisfaction with the current political system.
National Elections to Factional Contests
The boycott of elections by reformists has transformed the electoral landscape within the Islamic Republic into internal factional battles. With the systematic exclusion of reformist candidates by the Guardian Council-a body responsible for vetting candidates-viable options for electoral competition have been limited for years. Consequently, the recent parliamentary elections saw a consolidation of fundamentalist factions, unlike previous periods where distinct lists of fundamentalists or reformists dominated Tehran. Rather than a single cohesive list, multiple electoral factions emerged among fundamentalists, resulting in a fragmented representation in Tehran. Remarkably, due to the failure of candidates to secure the required voter threshold, approximately half of Tehran's 30 seats remained vacant. Candidates ranked 16th to 45th will now enter a second phase of elections, which is an unusual occurrence in Tehran. According to law, the second-phase elections occur one month after the Guardian Council approves the initial stage. The second phase will determine 15 representatives for Tehran and conduct elections in 19 other constituencies around the country. While the Guardian Council has not yet confirmed the election results, potential changes remain plausible. Some unsuccessful candidates have begun assembling complaints against winning candidates, underscoring the Guardian Council's pivotal role in ratifying or nullifying election outcomes. The twelfth parliament since the 1979 Islamic Revolution is set to convene on May 27. The Stability Front, a radical faction, is anticipated to wield considerable influence in the upcoming parliament. This group strongly opposes the 2015 nuclear deal, opposes reducing tensions in foreign policy, limits citizenship rights, limits women's rights, and supports an Islamic government without democratic elections.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/politics/126087-record-low-voter-turnout-signals-shift-in-iranian-politics-amid-rising-dissent/  

Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - 29 Feb 2024 - by GILARI GILANI
<<Call for boycotting Iranian parliamentary elections
<How can we forget everything and vote to legitimize this totalitarian regime that kills women and children?> asked a human right defender from Kermanshah, calling for boycotting the parliamentary elections to be held in Iran on March 1.
Kermanshah- Iran is going to hold parliamentary elections this Friday. 61 million 173, 298 voters across the country are expected to cast their votes. Days before the elections, many people have been calling for boycotting the elections, condemning the system of the oppressive Iranian regime.
A human rights defender from Kermanshah sent a message to NuJINHA, calling for boycotting the elections.
<As women of Kermanshah, we follow in footsteps of Minoo Majidi (a protester, who was shot and killed in Kermanshah by Iranian forces on 20 September 2022) and we boycott the regime's elections to show that our struggle and resistance still continue and that the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi revolutionary movement is still active. In Kermanshah, the blood of Minoo Majidi, young people and women is wet on the streets. How can we forget everything and vote to legitimize the totalitarian regime that kills women and children? A regime that has lost its legitimacy for years but can only survive by suppressing protests, arresting and executing people. As women, we have no hope for this corrupt parliament. We demand a democratic country that will make life possible for us. As the oppressed people in Iran, we will continue our struggle by chanting the 'Jin, Jiyan, Azadi' slogan. Women of Kermanshah will keep resisting.> >>
Source:
https://jinhaagency.com/en/actual/call-for-boycotting-iranian-parliamentary-elections-34672?page=1

PMOI - Afilliate of NCRI - Womens committee - 2 March 2024 - by Mahin Horri
<<The Iranian decisively vote <no> to the entire regime
Iran parliamentary elections boycott
Iranian protester holding a sign that reads, <My vote is regime change>
What Iran's regime feared the most and tried to prevent for months finally came to pass on Friday, March 1, when its sham parliamentary elections was met with an unprecedented boycott by the Iranian people. The people of Iran dealt a severe blow to the regime's political masquerade and once again underscored their desire to overthrow the rule of the mullahs. In recent months, regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei had taken steps to consolidate power and solidify his regime against the inevitable waves of anti-regime protests. In the weeks leading up to the election, Khamenei personally made comments to underline the importance of the parliamentary elections. In a speech on February 28, two days before the elections, he stressed that participation in the election is a matter of <national security,> by which he means preserving his regime in power. This is also his justification for the vote-rigging and results engineering that his regime will engage in after the polls close. The regime adopted several measures to pave the way for rigging the results, including the acceptance of identification documents that have no pictures, not stamping the documents of voters, and accepting five different types of documents for voting, and bribing people to vote. In military bases, soldiers were forced to vote and were promised a four-day break if they cast their votes. According to the regime's media, Moussa Kamali, the senior advisor of the training garrison of the armed forces, said, <Today, according to reports from education centers and garrisons, the presence and participation of our dear soldiers was unprecedented.> Kamali then asked soldiers to compel their families and friends to vote in the sham elections. Prisoners and workers of state-run factories were pressurized to vote. On election day, Khamenei once again pleaded with his loyalists to vote and said, <Use this opportunity and vote on the first hours.> On the other hand, the regime's so-called religious authorities tried to compel the people to vote by saying that participation in the elections is a <religious duty> and not participating is a sin. But despite all these measures, the turnout was a disaster for the regime. Thousands of reports from citizen journalists and PMOI supporters across Iran show that polling stations were empty and very few people went to cast their vote. But as before, the regime will resort to different tactics to rig the results and declare high turnouts and the results that had been determined before the voting took place. But the boycott was so widespread that the regime’s reports are being mocked by the people. Even the regime's media could not deny the boycott. The few foreign media that were allowed to cover the news also acknowledged the low turnout and the regime's anxiety. <While state-controlled television broadcast images of lines of voters, others across the capital of Tehran saw largely empty polling stations,> Associated Press reported. <Meanwhile, a heavy security presence could be seen across the capital, with ordinary and anti-riot police officers visible in main squares and junctions. Some 200,000 security forces have been deployed across the country as over 59,000 polling stations opened.> Reuters described the election as <a test of the clerical establishment's legitimacy at a time of growing frustration over economic woes and restrictions on political and social freedoms.> The situation has become so critical for the regime that Mohammad Bagher Farzaneh, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, said on election day, <Brothers and sisters, if this situation continues.... it will be dangerous. We are here to give people faith. If they don't have bread, they will lose their faith.> Indeed, the situation is very dangerous for the regime. As Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said, <No doubt, Khamenei and the Velayat-e Faqih regime will come out of this theatrics, much weaker and more fragile than ever, which will expedite their overthrow. The Iranian people's decisive 'No' is indicative of burgeoning uprisings, the echoes of which have already resonated across the nation, heralding the impending downfall of the clerical regime.> >>
Source:
https://english.mojahedin.org/article/the-iranian-decisively-vote-no-to-the-entire-regime/


Women's Liberation Front 2019/cryfreedom.net 2024