Following the death of a woman in police custody, thousands of protestors in London today including Nazanin Zhaghari-Ratcliffe in their call for the Iranian government to be overthrown.
She participated in the Freedom for Iran march, one of several taking place throughout the Western world, together with her husband Richard, who persistently worked for her release after the dictatorship imprisoned her for five years.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror Nazanin said: “I wanted to be in Trafalgar Square with everyone to show solidarity to the Iranian women inside Iran, whether free in the streets standing up for their rights or now locked up in prison for defending them.
“It was overwhelming to see such a large crowd, peacefully supporting people in Iran even though they are far away, and to be hugged and greeted by so many people who had campaigned for me.
“Sometimes we can feel very divided, but not today. “We all can see what is going on. We are all stronger together.”
The death of Mahsa Amini, who passed away while under the care of the morality police, served as the impetus for the protests.
The 22-year-old was detained in Tehran for reportedly wearing her headscarf too loosely before passing away three days later.
Authorities claimed Mahsa had a heart attack, but her family disputes the assertion, claiming Mahsa had no history of illness.
Since then, thousands of Iranian women have chopped their hair and removed and burned their head scarves as a show of support.
In a short clip shared on social media earlier this week, Nazanin was seen cutting her hair.
Today, there were sizable protests against the Iranian government, which came to power in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution, in cities all over the world, including Rome, Zurich, Paris, Seoul, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm, and New York.
The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led administration has been dubbed a “brutal dictatorship” by dissidents.
