Execution of former Iranian minister Farrokhroo Parsa in 1980

Farrokhroo Parsa, a physician and educator, was executed by the new Iranian Islamic Republic government on May 8, 1980, in a Tehran prison yard. Born in 1922 in Qom, she was the daughter of a women's rights activist. Parsa began her political career in 1963 when she was elected to the Iranian parliament. In 1968, she became the first woman in Iranian history to serve as a cabinet minister, holding the position of Minister of Education. During her tenure, she focused on expanding access to education for girls and increasing the number of public schools. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which replaced the Shah's regime with a theocratic government led by Ayatollah Khomeini, her policies and public status faced harsh scrutiny. She remains a historical figure associated with the shift in rights and governance in post-revolutionary Iran.