"Women, Life, Freedom": Volt stands in solidarity with Iranian women and calls for an end to government violence!
"Women, Life, Freedom": Volt stands in solidarity with Iranian women and calls for an end to government violence!
On 13 September, Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested by the morality police in Tehran for not wearing the hijab properly in accordance with the laws of the Islamic Republic. In their custody, the young woman was severely beaten and eventually died.
Following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, demonstrations of unprecedented intensity broke out and spread across the country like wildfire. What started as a protest against the mandatory hijab rules (in force since the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979) and for women's rights, has become something much broader: people are standing up against the authoritarian regime and years of oppression, human rights violations and arbitrary arrests.
Despite the regime's notoriously violent repression of political opposition, Iranians have risen up against the regime before. In 2009, the Green Revolution was sparked by rigged elections and, more recently, protests have regularly erupted against the backdrop of a deteriorating economy. The scale and nature of the current protests, however, are extraordinary. Grief and anger have united young and old, men and women, of different faiths and backgrounds. Women are publicly burning their hijabs and cutting their hair as a sign of emancipation. People chanted "Women! Life! Freedom!", "We are all Mahsa, we are all in this fight together" and "Death to the dictator", referring to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Police vehicles, symbols of the violent harassment of women, were set on fire. While women and twenty-somethings are leading the protests, Iranians inside and outside the country have united behind them not only in solidarity but also to fight for their own basic rights and freedom.
Although the protesters are unarmed, the government uses excessive violence, including live ammunition, and has recently deployed the military to suppress the uprising while severely restricting Internet access. Thousands of arrests and dozens of killings have been reported. Undeterred, the protests continue, supported by more and more Iranian celebrities, actors, artists and sportsmen, and are spreading around the world. Demonstrations are taking place outside the UN General Assembly and Iranian embassies, as well as in cities around the world. The regime's attempt to silence and discredit the protesters makes the international community's response and solidarity all the more crucial. Volt strongly condemns the regime's violence and fully supports the struggle of all Iranians for equal rights and freedom.
Let's all amplify the voice of Iranians by collectively shedding light on their struggle, sharing carefully researched information on social media, joining protests and calling our representatives to action. We call on the media not to give a stage to the Iranian regime's narrative, but instead to offer a platform to Iranians and human rights experts. In addition, governments must urgently investigate companies that facilitate censorship and restrict access to social media. We call on our governments to immediately halt the deportation of Iranian asylum seekers and impose sanctions on regime officials. Similarly, our governments must press for the prosecution of Iranian officials involved in human rights violations and for reparations to victims or their relatives.
Change is possible. With each day of protest and each brave woman walking the streets unveiled, the new self-confidence of Iranians is becoming more and more irreversible. Volt stands in solidarity with Iranian citizens on their path to freedom!
About Volt
As the first truly pan-European party, Volt is committed to reforming the European Union and responding to today's challenges in a coordinated way at European level. Volt's vision: a progressive Europe with an inclusive society, a climate-friendly economy, an adaptable education system and self-determined digitalisation.
Volt is convinced that only the democratic participation of all European citizens will prepare us for a sustainable, economically strong and socially just future. This is why Volt acts at all levels - from local to European, as a movement and as a party. The movement gives everyone a voice and the opportunity to engage politically from within society. Today, Volt is present all over Europe: thousands of people of all ages and professions are involved in 30 European countries with teams in hundreds of cities.
Contact
Charlotte Barsky - non-executive board member
Mail : charlotte.barsky@volteuropa.org
Robin Fontaine - non-executive board member
Mail : robin.fontaine@volteuropa.org
More information on our Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram