I am heartbroken and furious at the same time for the women of Iran and Afghanistan. Iranian woman lashed 74 times yesterday for the crime of removing her hijab in public. This is shocking and barbaric. A young woman named Roya Heshmati shared her horrific ordeal of receiving 74 lashes for refusing to cover her hair. Despite her punishment, she remained defiant, refusing to wear the hijab during and after her lashing. Singing courageously, “In the name of women, in the name of life, the chains of slavery have been torn apart.” At the same time, Taliban arrested women of Afghanistan for “bad hijab”. I call on all women across the globe to condemn this barbaric laws, and show their solidarity with the women of Iran and Afghanistan, who are suffering under the Taliban and Islamic Republic. This is 21st century, and we need global unity to END gender apartheid regimes. Read part of Roya’s story: “This morning, I faced my sentence of 74 lashes for defying the mandatory hijab. Accompanied by my lawyer, I entered the District 7 prosecutor’s office, deliberately removing my hijab. Ignoring the officials’ orders to cover up, I stood my ground. An officer threatened additional punishment if I didn’t comply, but I refused to wear the hijab. Defiantly, I was handcuffed and led to a basement room, akin to a medieval torture chamber. In the execution room, with concrete walls and an ominous execution bed, the judge asked if I was okay. I remained silent, showing my resistance. Ordered to prepare for the lashes, I hung up my coat and scarf, refusing to wear the hijab despite their insistence. As the lashes commenced, I silently recited a poem about liberation and resistance. Despite the pain, I didn’t let them see my suffering. After the punishment, I continued to defy their demands to wear the hijab, a symbol of my unwavering stance against oppression.” This is the reality of living under Sharia Laws. #LetUsTalk