Protests in 10 Cities Against 'Human Rights Violations' in Iran

On Saturday, December 8, in commemoration of International Human Rights Day, protests were held in 10 cities across Europe by over 20 political and civil organizations against 'the crimes of the Islamic Republic and the violation of fundamental human rights in Iran.' The protests were based on three slogans: 'Freedom for all political prisoners,' 'No executions for anyone,' and 'Against discrimination, inequality, and war.' These leftist, democratic, feminist, and queer organizations issued a call for this joint action in cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Dublin, Frankfurt, Cologne, London, Münster, Hanover, and Hamburg. In their call, they referenced Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,' noting that this article has been fundamentally violated throughout the past decades, especially during the 45 years of the Islamic Republic's rule. The statement read at the protests stated: 'In Iran, workers, teachers, nurses, students, retirees, environmental activists, artists, human rights defenders, and other freedom seekers are imprisoned and suppressed for defending their human, professional, and civil rights.' The statement further added: 'Women, as half of the country's population, are also subjected to systematic oppression, violence, and double discrimination, deprived of the right to choose their attire and control their own bodies, while male patriarchy and femicide prevail in Iran.' Examples of gross human rights violations in Iran included the suppression of political and civil freedoms, the existence of a discriminatory and oppressive national, class, linguistic, and religious system, and the complete lack of rights for child laborers. The signatories of the call also emphasized that the fundamental principles outlined in the Human Rights Declaration are 'systematically' violated by the Islamic Republic regime. They wrote: 'Under the rule of the Islamic Republic, the right to life is severely violated, and Iran ranks at the top of annual execution statistics worldwide. A person is executed in Iran every few hours, including children. Imprisonment, torture, and execution are important tools of the regime to instill fear and suppress society.' The signatories also protested against 'the escalation of war in the Middle East,' stating that the current wars in the region 'violate all human rights laws and the crimes committed in these wars' have brought the lives of people in this part of the world to a disastrous state. Hamid Nozari, a representative of the Iranian Political Refugees Association and an organizer of the Berlin protest, told Voice of America: 'Our goal with this joint movement is to echo the voices of fighters inside Iran to the outside world, especially women, prisoners, and dissenters in various fields, who do not cease their resistance against a repressive regime under difficult political, social, and economic conditions.' He added: 'We aim to raise public awareness regarding the dire human rights situation, especially the catastrophic aspects of executions.' The call for the protests was signed by organizations such as the 'Council for Organizing Actions in Amsterdam, the Iranian Political Refugees Association in Berlin, the Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners in Berlin, the Committee Supporting the Democratic Struggles of the People of Iran in Berlin, the Free Women of Eastern Kurdistan Society (Kajar) in Berlin and Cologne, the Berlin Medical Staff for Human Rights and Democracy (Berlin Med), and the Democratic Council in Paris.' Other signatories included 'the Committee for Solidarity with the Struggles of the People of Iran in Frankfurt, Collective Cooperation in Cologne, Independent Queer Feminist Activists in Cologne, the Iranian-German Women's Association in Cologne, the Council for Solidarity with the Struggles of the People of Iran in London, Solidarity with the Struggles of the People of Iran in London, the Campaign Against Executions in Iran in London, the Council of Left and Democratic Iranians in Mainz, the Political Refugees Association in Münster, the Group for Solidarity with the Struggles of the People of Iran in Münster, the Horizon Women’s Association in Hamburg, and the Council of Democratic and Socialist Activists in Hanover.' Meanwhile, other protests were held in several other cities in opposition to the sentencing of defendants in the 'Ekbatān neighborhood case' on Saturday.