Protests by Parliament Representatives as a Clear Example of Election Boycott and Demand for Referendum - 2004-01-13

The widespread protests and sit-ins by Islamic Parliament representatives against the disqualification of several members by the Guardian Council, under the leadership's orders, sparked a wave of excitement among the people, weary of religious tyranny. The boycott of the seventh parliamentary elections and the demand for a referendum by democratic republicans is a policy aligned with realities, a conscious action based on the defense of human rights and democracy, and a refusal to submit to the oppression, intimidation, and tyranny of religious despotism because: - Within the framework of the legal-political system of the Islamic government ruling Iran, there is no possibility of achieving even minimal democratic changes and responding to the basic demands of the people, and the failure of governmental reformists, regardless of their fundamental weaknesses, is rooted in the power structure. - Despotic rulers, who have created a sacred aura around themselves through religion, strip even those who were previously considered 'insiders' of the basic right to 'be elected' simply for 'speaking' about the need to pay attention to the people (even for the sake of preserving the regime). Without immense pressure from the people, civil and national institutions, and international support, the conscious will of the people will not be acknowledged. Therefore, based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principle of 'the right to free choice', the people of Iran firmly support the actions of the protesting representatives in defense of their violated citizenship rights. Certainly, the esteemed representatives will say to themselves that if, during these years of misery, our focus had not solely been on power and we had vigorously defended human rights, democratic demands, social movements, and political pursuits of all the people of Iran, regardless of ideology and religious values, we would not be facing such a situation today.