Imprisoned Iranian women call for boycott of upcoming elections in Iran

Iranian female political prisoners have called on their compatriots to boycott the parliamentary elections scheduled for later this week, saying that those who vote would be “endorsing the regime and its crimes.”

Fearing a low turnout in the parliamentary elections scheduled for Friday, President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians once more on Sunday to vote.

“Anyone who goes to the polls will be complicit in the regime’s killing of the revolutionary youth and would be endorsing the regime and its crimes,” said 12 female activists, imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, in a joint statement published on Monday.

For 41 years, they have tried to portray their totalitarian regime as a democratic one by repeating the word elections,” reads the statement.

“The Iranian parliament is not a democratic institution and has no use other than serving the regime,” added the statement.

The statement’s signatories are Yasaman Aryani, Neda Ashtiani, Raheleh Ahmadi, Maryam Akbari Monfared, Leila Hosseinzadeh, Soheila Hejab, Atena Daemi, Sepideh Farhan, Monireh Arabshahi, Saba Kord Afshari, Neda Naji, and Samaneh Norouz Moradi.

Earlier this month, imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi also called on Iranians to boycott elections to honor those killed by the regime during the anti-government protests last November.