TEHRAN: As Iran enters its second week of anti-government protests, an elderly woman in Tehran has become a global symbol of defiance after a video of her went viral.
In the footage, shared by journalist Masih Alinejad, the woman is seen marching through the streets of the capital, seemingly bleeding from her mouth, chanting slogans. Her central cry, “I’m not afraid. I’ve been dead for 47 years,” has resonated as a powerful indictment of the Islamic Republic, referencing the 47 years since the 1979 revolution.
In the caption, Alinejad wrote, “I’m not afraid. I’ve been dead for 47 years this is the voice of a woman in Iran who is fed up with the Islamic republic. 47 years ago, the Islamic Republic took our rights and turned a nation into hostages. Today people have nothing left to lose, they rise. Iran is rising.”
The woman’s bold stand comes at a time when Iranian authorities have implemented a nationwide internet blackout and severed international telephone access as anti-government demonstrations reach a critical escalation point. The move follows a mass nighttime protest called for by the country’s exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, which saw citizens storming streets and shouting from windows across Tehran and other major cities.