One year since Mahsa Amini’s death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran’s crackdown continues her struggle from exile

Elahe Tavakolian’s shooter was so close, she could see him pointing his gun at her.

“He was maybe 30 or 40 meters (100 to 130 feet) away,” she recalls. “He was a police officer. And everybody knew him.”

Around her, she says, protesters were chanting “death to the dictator,” as two men tore down a billboard bearing the face of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

When gunshots interrupted the celebrations, Tavakolian moved to shield her 10-year-old twins and younger sister, who had accompanied her to the demonstration.