On Nov. 12, a protest was held in Washington, DC for the current struggles facing Iranian citizens. Protesters marched through the streets of DC, stopping outside embassies singing “Azadi” written by Iranian musicians, with a goal of spreading awareness of the crises that the people of Iran are facing.

Iran’s first revolution was for reform in their governmental system to get rid of their monarchy. They established a new system which allowed for an even more corrupt regime to rise to power. That regime has since taken away its people’s freedoms and has imprisoned roughly 15,000 political protesters, journalists and women. Iran is a majority Islamic country. The women who are executed in Iran are often raped before execution as a way to prevent them from entering heaven, per the Islamic faith.

Mahsa Amini was a 22 year old woman who was beaten to death by Iranian morality police for wearing a hijab too loosely. Her name is now regarded as a symbol of acknowledgment for the injustices faced by Iranians. The protest in DC stretched over the course of five hours and was over three miles long beginning to end. These protests are conducted with the intention of encouraging the people currently in Iran and to spread awareness of the inhuman acts currently taking place. One protester in DC said, “From the messages we have coming from inside of Iran, the people of Iran are encouraged, they ask us to continue on.”

These protests not far from the town of Warrenton have gained traction from all over the world. Many countries have publicly declared their support for this suffrage. “Every time we see a flash, a glimmer of hope, of people longing for freedom, I think we have to point it out. We have to shine a spotlight on it. We have to express some solidarity about it,” said Barack Obama in response to the protests of Iran and in DC.