Hope, Votes & Bullets: A Year in Iran From the 2009 Election

Hope, Votes & Bul­lets tells a very per­sonal story of change, despair, and protest from people in Iran and out­side who somehow found their lives con­sumed by the pos­si­bility of a new future for the nation. On June 12, 2009, elec­tion offi­cials in Iran announced that Mah­moud Ahmadinejad had been reelected by a land­slide. Before doing so, how­ever, they made sure that the mobile net­work was turned off and that internet access was lim­ited. No one expected a fair count of the vote, but few Ira­nians expected to hear that the first term pres­i­dent had gained such a com­manding vic­tory. By the end of the evening, people all over Iran had taken to their rooftops to shout out their despair. On the 15th, a reported three mil­lion took to Tehran’s streets to join a silent protest. Their unity and public expres­sion sur­prised and invig­o­rated those on the streets and those watching all over the world.