Call for global solidarity with Iranian protesters

More than 500 politicians, heads of state and government, and human rights organizations, as well as journalists and Nobel Prize laureates, have signed a petition to support the Iranian protesters against the “dictatorship” in Tehran.

The petition, which was launched by the US Freedom House, called for taking diplomatic, economic, and symbolic measures to punish the Iranian regime and to support the protesters. It called for holding those who are involved in acts of suppression to be held accountable, starting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

It also called for blacklisting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in addition to allowing more credibility in media coverage. 

“Technical assistance, including equipment, should be given to help the demonstrators counteract censorship and surveillance and to communicate despite the regime’s disruption of Internet service and blocking of the website,” the petition said.

Signatories of the petition include Nobel Prize laureates like journalist and author Svetlana Alexievich, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature; former President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias, who received the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize; Dr. Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights defender who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize; and Leymah R. Gbowee from the Nobel Women’s Initiative, who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

Heads of state and government who signed the petition include Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi; Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada; Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica; Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia; and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, former Secretary-General of NATO, and founder of Alliance of Democracies.

Majority rejects regime

It has been revealed that 80.9% of Iranians inside the country said they want to overthrow the Iranian regime, while 15.3% support the Islamic Republic 3.8% are unsure, according to the results of a recent study conducted by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN).

The poll was carried out by the institute between December 21 and 31, 2022 with more than 200,000 respondents, including 158,000 people inside Iran and more than 42,000 Iranians abroad.

“Of those, 28% inside Iran and 32% outside Iran would prefer a presidential republic, 12% inside Iran and 29% outside Iran would prefer a parliamentary republic regime type, and 22% inside Iran and 25% outside Iran would prefer a constitutional monarchy,” the study said.

Targeting eyes

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said that the Iranian police have “systematically targeted protesters’ eyes,” AFP reported on Friday.

The majority of the protesters who lost their sight were women, the report said, noting that 22 protesters, including nine women, were blinded in one eye.

IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said, “We don’t have enough data yet, but I have the impression that young girls are over-represented among those whose eyes are targeted.”