The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to suppress peaceful and democratic uprisings by using force. During the past year, the feminist movement of ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ took center stage among all other challenges to the regime. The IRG and its sub-organization militia, known as Basij, are responsible for the death of hundreds, the wounding of thousands, and the imprisonment and harsh treatment of tens of thousands of protesters. Despite these barbaric acts, Iranian women continue their struggle against the forced hijab and their demand for equal rights. Women are now walking the streets of every single city and town in Iran without wearing hijab, a scene that even one year ago was impossible to dream of. This movement is trying to coordinate its efforts with other struggles and movements in Iran such as workers’ demand for improvement of their workplace conditions and higher wages, ethnic and religious minorities for equal rights, University students and professors’ demand for democracy, teachers’ call for free access of their students to the education system and higher salaries and against the privatization of education, environmental activists, etc.
The Islamic Republic’s harsh treatment of any objection to its rules has now reached the point of unimaginable cruelty. In the past few months, hundreds of mostly female schools, have been subjected to chemical attacks. These attacks try to achieve two goals: one- Taking revenge on students for supporting the ‘woman, life, freedom’ movement and dissuading them to repeat the same in the future: two – Forcing girls to stay home by using the same treatment as their counterparts in Afghanistan, the Taliban.
Supporting our compatriots in Iran in their struggles against the entirety of the regime is our first and most important task. We continue to streamline the secular, democratic, and peaceful movements to act in unison.
As a woman, I have been subjected to inequality of my basic rights such as traveling abroad alone without the permission of a relative male figure. I have been denied the right to file for divorce from an abusive spouse. My chance of employment and equal pay as male colleagues for doing the same job is close to zero. The list, unfortunately, can go on and on. As a result, I consider myself a freedom fighter, a human rights activist, and a supporter of workers, teachers, and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran. It is my honor and privilege to be the voice of the silenced.
On How can the EU supports women and civil society in Iran she asked European Parliament To:
- Put pressure on Iranian authorities to release political prisoners.
- Demand to stop force against civil and peaceful movements
- Demand to release the non-Iranians and those with dual citizenship from prison
- Monitor the terrorist acts by Iranian intelligent officers residing in the regime’s embassies
- Continue the sanctions of those responsible for murdering peaceful demonstrators, especially IRGC and Basij organizations
- Demand the regime to bring to justice those responsible for the death of 176 passengers of the PS-752 flight
- Help opposition abroad by organizing events like these
- Use diplomacy to force Iranian authorities in United Nations to accept human rights, women’s rights, ethnic and religious minorities rights
- Oppose any attempt by any foreign country to start a war with the Islamic Republic’s regime
- Support, attend, and give speeches in Iranian peaceful demonstrations in Europe
- Continue the political sponsorship of Iranian political prisoners
- Disclose any information in relation to the regime’s support of Russia in its war against Ukraine
- Do not recognize the Taliban regime unless they accept girls’ rights to attend schools, universities, and workplaces
- Support the normalization of Iran's relations with the countries of the region.
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