More Families of Victims and Civil Political Activists Call for Election Boycott

As the voting day approaches and despite Ali Khamenei's repeated calls for high participation, the number of individuals and groups explicitly insisting on boycotting the elections is increasing. After Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned human rights activist and Nobel laureate, Mojgan Ilanloo, a documentary filmmaker supporting the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, and Sepideh Rashno, a jailed translator, other well-known figures and groups such as Hossein Ronaghi, a political activist opposing the government, the Association of Families of Victims of the November 2019 Protests, the Mothers of Victims in Kurdistan, Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner opposing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and Gohar Eshghi, a mother seeking justice, have also called for a boycott of the elections. Other names such as Golrokh Iraei, a political prisoner, and Mehdi Mahmoudian and Hossein Razag, former political prisoners, are also among the election boycotters. Many civil political activists and other political prisoners have not yet taken a stance regarding the elections, and it is unclear whether their position is to boycott the elections or if they are remaining silent to avoid potential legal repercussions. Artists and Indifference to Elections Abolfazl Ghadiani, a political activist opposing the government, was one of the first political figures to call for an election boycott, considering participation instead of boycott as 'passivity.' The Association of Families of Victims of the November 2019 Protests described the fourteenth presidential election in Iran as 'a sham democracy' and announced that they would not participate in this election. The statement noted that the people of Iran have 'patiently tried many times over the past 45 years to bring about a change in the malignant nature of the Islamic Republic through peaceful protests, cultural actions, and even sometimes by participating in sham elections, to have a dignified life. However, the response of the regressive Islamic Republic has always been suppression and massacre.' These families added: 'Those who yesterday shot their bullets into the sturdy chests of the children of Iran today, with a made-up face, call us to choose between the executioner and the tyrant... claiming to defend the rights of the people.' The Mothers of Victims in Iranian Kurdistan also referred to the presidential election in Iran as a 'circus' and in a statement, referring to the executions and shootings of protesting youth in the streets in recent years that have caused 'thousands of families' to mourn, wrote that now 'on the eve of this sham election, the candidates of the government, who are themselves responsible and complicit in these crimes, speak of freedom and improving the current situation.' These mothers have also emphasized that they will not cease their quest for justice until the murderers of their children are tried. Asghar Sepahri, the brother of Fatemeh Sepahri, also wrote on social media that his sister, in a call from prison, referred to the elections as a 'circus of appointments' and addressed the officials of the Islamic Republic saying: 'You are the most ruthless rulers in centuries of history... You are the most incompetent managers of any country, we will not assign any responsibility to you.' Fatemeh Sepahri is one of the signatories of a letter requesting the resignation of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who was arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic on September 21, 2022, at the beginning of the nationwide protests for 'Women, Life, Freedom.' Hossein Ronaghi, a civil and political activist with a history of imprisonment, also stated in a video message published on his personal page that 'the entirety of the Islamic Republic system is merely a barrier to the progress, freedom, and prosperity of Iran.' He considered voting in the Islamic Republic as 'a brick on the wall of oppression' and added: 'The most peaceful way to express opposition to all these blatant injustices and to convey the message of 'no to the Islamic Republic' is to boycott the ridiculous and fake election ahead.' Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti, called on the people on social media to leave the 'lying regime and its conservative and reformist supporters' alone in this 'hollow display.' She added: 'Let the world know that our definitive response to the Islamic Republic is just one sentence: no.' In the context of indifference from filmmakers and cultural and artistic figures in the election campaigns, who have paid heavy costs during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, Marzieh Boroumand, a well-known artist who previously headed the House of Cinema, spoke of a 'conditional vote' for Masoud Pezeshkian. In several Instagram stories addressed to the reformist candidate, she wrote that he should know 'the desperate are the last ones who will talk to you.' Boroumand conditioned her 'conditional vote' for Pezeshkian on efforts to lift sanctions, combat corruption and cronyism, defend women's rights, and remove restrictions on art and tourism, among other things. Several families of those who lost their lives in protests following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police and those injured in those protests, as well as families of the Ukrainian flight victims, have also emphasized their boycott of the elections. Additionally, the workers' channel of Haft Tappeh Company issued a statement announcing that its members have decided not to participate in the elections. The statement read: 'We do not vote for the capitalists and the perpetrators of our misery and that of the majority of the people. We sympathize with the mothers and fathers who have lost their beloved children and hope that one day labor justice will be a balm for their pain.' They wrote that the workers of Haft Tappeh and the labor movement 'have no interest in defending this exploitative and repressive regime and will not participate in the capitalists' elections for its continuation and survival. We do not vote for our class enemies. Participation in the elections is an endorsement of the entire situation and the problems and sufferings and their perpetrators.' Five Iranian queer organizations also issued a statement on Wednesday, July 6, calling the elections 'a process for determining the president of the Islamic government for relentless repression and violation of the right to life of the people of Iran' and emphasized the necessity of boycotting the elections in the Islamic Republic. The signatories of this statement include Iranian Rainbow Organizations, Queer Collective and Feminists for the Freedom of Iran, Iranian Queers Organization Simorgh, Six Color Network, and Free Queer. Hours before the last televised debate of the candidates approved by the Guardian Council, Ali Khamenei called on the people to participate widely in the elections for the 'glory' of the Islamic Republic and to 'silence the enemies.' He made no mention of the dire economic conditions of the Iranian people, the widespread suppression of opponents and protesters, and the increasing pressure on civil and political activists in recent years. The Media and Advertising Affairs Office of the Ministry of Culture also announced on Wednesday that in a meeting of the committee for 'monitoring and tracking electoral violations by the media,' it was decided to warn two news agencies, three newspapers, and two websites. Although the names of these media outlets were not mentioned, they were accused of 'biased support for certain candidates,' insulting and defaming other candidates, and publishing false polling results and narratives. Given the security control of polls in sensitive conditions such as elections in Iran, especially in the current situation where participation has reached its lowest level, one cannot trust the results definitively. However, the atmosphere of social media and field reports from users, as well as the results of self-conducted polls, do not indicate any electoral enthusiasm in Iranian society.