Iran starts first election campaign since the 2022 mass protests over Mahsa Amini’s death in custody

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Candidates for Iran’s parliament have started campaigning in the country’s first election since the 2022 crackdown on nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was detained for allegedly violating the strict headscarf law. A total of 15,200 candidates will compete for a term in the 290-seat chamber, which has been controlled by hard-liners for the past two decades two decades. The protests two years ago escalated into calls to overthrow Iran’s clerical rulers. In the crackdown that followed, activists say over 500 people were killed and nearly 20,000 arrested. The election will be held on March 1, and the new parliament will convene in late May.