Iranian-Born Swedish Parliamentarian: Support for Iran’s Protesters is Support for Democracy
Azadeh Rajchgan-Gustavsson, an Iranian-born member of the Swedish Parliament, told Deutsche Welle that when democratic principles, human rights, and freedoms are violated in a country, parliaments in other countries should respond to it in light of protests by the Iranian people.
A group of Swedish parliamentarians gathered on Tuesday, November 19 (November 28 by the Persian calendar), in front of the Swedish Parliament building and took a collective photo while holding placards inscribed with “Iran protests hashtag.”
Azadeh Rajchgan-Gustavsson, one of the organizers of the gathering, told Deutsche Welle: “Four other Iranian-born representatives and I, who were in contact with each other, decided to support the Iranian people in a simple act and asked all five parties in Sweden to join us. Our goal was to declare through this photo that defending protesting Iranians is not a partisan matter, but a matter of democracy, freedom of expression, human rights, and the right to assembly. Rights that every parliament should defend. Because these principles are the foundation of democracy, and if these principles are trampled in a country, other parliaments should respond to it.”
The Social Democrat parliamentarian told Deutsche Welle that other measures are also underway: “Among other things, we are planning to hold a seminar in which we will inform other representatives, political activists, and the general public about the situation in Iran.”
Ms. Rajchgan-Gustavsson praised the Swedish Foreign Minister’s action in posting a tweet in English and said she expects the Swedish government, as a democratic state, to defend the civil liberties of citizens of other countries.
Previously, Ann Linde, Sweden’s Foreign Minister, had written in a tweet: Many Swedes have relatives and friends in Iran and are concerned about the escalating tensions in this country.
She also wrote that Sweden’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Tehran are closely monitoring the current situation in Iran. She has called on the parties to the conflict to exercise restraint.
Source: DW
