AN IRANIAN woman shot in the eye by brutal morality police has vowed to continue her fight for the regime to be toppled from exile.
Elahe Tavakolian was protesting Mahsa Amini‘s death at the hands of ruthless cops when she herself became their victim.
Instagram / @elahetavakolian14Elahe Tavakolian[/caption]
Instagram / @elahetavakolian14The mum was shot in the eye by Iran’s ruthless police[/caption]
It happened during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022Rex
She was one of thousands taking part in nationwide rallies after Mahsa, 22, was beaten into a coma by Iran’s feared morality police when she was arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly.
Single mum Elahe was shielding her young twins and sister after gunshots rang out – before noticing a police officer just 100ft away pointing his firearm at her.
He opened fire – with the bullet hitting her right eye and causing irreparable damage.
Despite losing her right eye and being forced into exile, Elahe is among dozens of brave victims taking a stand against Iran‘s barbaric regime in Mahsa’s memory three years on.
Courageous Elahe says she has “paid a price” for protesting, but insists she will never be silenced in her fight against the bloodthirsty mullahs.
Elahe is one of 100 victims and families who have issued a plea to world leaders to mark the anniversary of Mahsa’s death on September 16, 2022.
She told The Sun: “It’s about ending executions, systematic repression, corruption, and returning Iran to its people.
“I chanted, I marched, and I paid a price that stays with me every day.
“I lost my right eye during the protests due to a bullet – all because I demanded only basic rights, dignity, and freedom.
“Losing my eye did not silence my voice – it amplified it.”
Mahsa’s death has become a symbol of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom.
Families and victims, including Elahe, have pleaded with the international community to take immediate action in an open letter.
The letter urges governments worldwide to class the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group and cut all diplomatic and economic ties that legitimise the regime.
It also calls for sanctions to be imposed on the IRGC’s financial, military and cyber networks, and for support to be given to the Iranian public in a transition to a democratic government.
British-Iranian activist Haleh Blake warned women will only be safe in Iran once the current regime is ousted.
Haleh, who left Iran at the age of 14, told how callous mullahs are using new technology to enforce stricter hijab laws rubber-stamped last year.
She told The Sun: “The repression is limitless.
“The entire ideology is embedded within this government within this regime.
“What really needs to happen is this government to be dismantled and a brand new democratic government to come into power.”
What happened to Mahsa Amini?
MAHSA Amini was beaten to death by Iran’s morality police after she was arrested in the capital Tehran for not following the country’s strict hijab laws.
The 22-year-old was detained for having some hair visible under her headscarf – which Iranian women are legally required to wear.
Mahsa fell into a coma shortly after collapsing at the detention centre.
She died three days later in hospital on September 16, 2022.
The morality police have denied smashing her head with a baton and banging it against one of their vehicles.
Mahsa was visiting her brother at the time of her arrest, and police told him she was being transferred to Vozara detention centre for an “educational” class.
Police also beat her brother when he protested her detention.
Mahsa’s death sparked furious protests across the country, with many calling for the dismantling of the ruthless morality police.
Female protestors burned hijabs in the street and riots broke out, with at least eight people killed in clashes with cops and counter-protestors.
Under Iranian law, which is based on the country’s interpretation of Sharia, women must cover their hair with a hijab and wear long, loose-fitting clothing.
The morality police – also know as the Guidance Patrol – are in charge of arresting women who violate the conservative dress code.
Tasked with ensuring Islamic morals are respected, they spend their days patrolling busy public spaces in green and white vans to crack down on “improper” behaviour and clothing.
Women detained by cops are either given a warning or bundled into a van and whisked away to a “correctional facility” or a police station where they are lectured on how to dress before being released to their male relatives.
Since the 1980s, many women have been beaten to death by the callous morality police, or tortured into given false confessions.
In the last year, the warped regime began using phones, cameras, drones, civilian agents and subway tickets to track women dressed “improperly”.
After the Iranian revolution in 1979, hijabs became a compulsory dress code for women.
For decades, activists and citizens have challenged mandatory hijabs – prompting brutal crackdowns from the regime.
In 2022, widespread protests erupted following Mahsa’s death in custody for wearing her hijab “improperly”.
Mass arrests, police violence and several executions followed as panicked supreme leader Ali Khamenei attempted to stamp out any form of revolt.
Haleh said: “Women continue to be harassed and they’re still resisting.
“Every time they go out to protest, they know they may not come back home alive.
“That’s the sort of price some of these brave Iranians are essentially willing to pay.”
Instagram / @elahetavakolian14Elahe went to Italy for treatment, where she now lives in exile[/caption]
Instagram / @elahetavakolian14Elahe said losing her eye has not silenced her – but instead amplified her voice[/caption]
Elahe added: “The anniversary of Mahsa Amini is the symbol of a historic movement in Iran.
“This movement is not just about opposing compulsory hijab – it is a powerful voice against executions, repression, corruption, and injustice.
“Though the regime has tried to crush it, the women and youth of Iran have made their voices heard around the world.
“The laws may not have changed yet, but the awareness within society, and the resistance of women, is a profound transformation -one that cannot be undone.”
After being shot, Elahe was forced to travel to Italy for medical treatment, where she now lives in exile and works tirelessly in her mission to end of Khamenei’s evil regime.
The mum said countless Iranians – both in the country and in exile – want to see its overthrow as “the Islamic Republic is not reformable from within”.
She said: “This regime does not represent the people of Iran, and it must go – so that Iran can breathe.
“We seek freedom, justice, and democracy – not the survival of a repressive government.
“I ask the politicians of the US, Europe, and the West to stand with the people of Iran.
“Separate the people of Iran from the regime. Stand with the people – not with the Islamic Republic.
“International organisations have repeatedly documented widespread repression, killings and arrests. This is not just our testimony – it is a documented reality that still persists.”
‘International community must act for its own security’
MORE than 100 families of victims and victims themselves of Iran’s regime have issued an open letter to world leaders.
The plea to the international community to confront the Islamic Republic’s escalating violence and repression comes as activists mark the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s brutal death.
Read the full letter below:
To the Leaders and People of the World
We, the undersigned, are victims and families of victims who, together with our loved ones, took to the streets during the national uprisings, including the three major uprisings of December 2017, November 2019, and 2022, in protest against the dictatorial nature of the Islamic Republic, and to stand in solidarity with other segments of the nation.
The regime’s response to our protests was severe bodily harm: blinding or killing our loved ones with live ammunition, and torturing and executing them with the noose in its prisons.
From the moment it seized power, the Islamic Republic has diverted the nation’s financial resources and capacities away from the welfare and well-being of the people and instead invested them in building the infrastructure of repression and killing.
At home, it silences people through executions and crackdowns; abroad, it threatens global security through state terrorism, hostage-taking, wars waged via its proxies, the production of long-range missiles, and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Despite this bloody repression, the Iranian people – women and men, young and old – continue to protest and struggle for freedom and a dignified life.
Today, the Islamic Republic has lost all social base due to its failure to provide welfare, its widespread repression, and its loss of legitimacy.
Its survival depends solely on the barrel of the gun and the machinery of oppression.
This criminal regime now stands at the darkest point in its history: the daily lives of the people have been shattered, while fresh crises—from economic collapse to environmental catastrophe—arise each day.
Iran is rapidly moving toward drought, which means new waves of forced migration—a direct threat to countries that are already struggling with migration challenges.
The regime has lost its key agents of repression, and after the twelve-day war and Khamenei’s disappearance from public view, even its propaganda machine has become ineffective.
Yet through its pursuit of nuclear weapons, the global terrorist networks of the Revolutionary Guards, and its proxy forces fueling wars across the region, it remains a serious threat to international peace and security.
Establishing global peace and security requires coordinated and comprehensive action. Although late, there is still time to prevent greater dangers.
As the Iranian people continue their struggle inside the country, the following actions by you will help advance peace and stability in the region and the world:
-Designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
-Cutting all diplomatic and economic ties that serve to legitimise this regime.
-Imposing comprehensive sanctions on the financial, military, and cyber networks of the IRGC.
-Providing maximum and practical support to the Iranian people in their transition to a democratic government.
The people of Iran have shed blood and stood firm. Now it is time for the international community to act for its own security.
The struggle of the Iranian nation will be remembered in history as a sacrifice not only for freedom but also for the security of the world.