Message from 10 Political Activists: We Will Not Vote Due to '45 Years of Crimes and Betrayal by the Islamic Republic, Poverty and Corruption'

Amid concerns from Islamic Republic officials about widespread public disengagement in the upcoming government elections in March, several political activists and former political prisoners emphasized their determination not to vote. Ten political activists and former political prisoners, in a series of messages titled 'Vote Without Voting,' which Voice of America has obtained, announced that they will not participate in any of the Islamic Republic's elections. They cited reasons such as '45 years of crimes and betrayal by the Islamic Republic,' 'suppression and killing' of protesters, 'poverty and corruption,' and 'misery and destruction of the homeland and fellow countrymen' as their reasons for abstaining from the elections. The series of messages 'Vote Without Voting' belongs to Sohrab Hassanikhani, Mazaher Heydari, Behrouz Izadi Rad, Yashar Ghazai, Omid Fathi, Arshia Vazifeh, Ali Jahaniyan, Ghasem Ghafari, Mehdi Savar Aliya, and Pouya Shahabi. The elections for the twelfth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the sixth term of the Assembly of Experts are scheduled to be held simultaneously on March 2 of this year. While statistics published by some institutions and media within Iran indicate that about 30 percent of the people will participate in the upcoming elections, security agencies are attempting to prevent the dissemination of this news. The website 'Khabar Online,' which reported on February 27 citing results from a government agency's poll, stated that the participation rate in the upcoming elections in Iran is about 30 percent, but was forced to delete this news due to security pressures. Previously, Reza Alijani, a political analyst, mentioned in an interview with Voice of America that the Iranian government is aware of the 'disillusionment' among the people, emphasizing that Ali Khamenei knows he faces the toughest elections ahead and that the electoral legitimacy of the government is at its lowest level. Additionally, see: Reactions to Khamenei's 'plea' for elections: The legitimacy of the government is at its lowest level. The publication of controversial images attributed to a candidate for the Islamic Consultative Assembly; Yaser Daqiqi: It's the work of 'modern technology,' participate in the elections. Increased pressure on media ahead of elections; Khabar Online was forced to delete the poll indicating '30 percent participation.' The U.S.: The Islamic Republic of Iran is neither democratic nor transparent; it suppresses to remain in power. Hassan Rouhani's request for the reasons for his disqualification; users: 'Heating up the election furnace.'