Overview
- Baber posted footage outside his constituency office burning a portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and lighting a cigar, captioning the post with an expletive and the hashtag #FreeIran2026.
- The gesture mirrors widely shared clips of Iranian women lighting cigarettes from burning images of the supreme leader as a form of civil disobedience.
- Observers note the act’s potency because defacing the leader’s image is illegal in Iran and public smoking by women faces social restrictions.
- Rights monitor HRANA reports at least 646 people killed and more than 10,700 arrested across protests spanning all 31 provinces.
- Canada, Australia and the European Union issued a joint Jan. 9 statement condemning lethal force by Iranian security units including the IRGC and Basij, as the trend drew global attention with early amplification from diaspora figures and J.K. Rowling.