Statement by a group of mothers of political and civil martyrs: January 25, a day of tribute to those killed in November
A number of mothers and family members of political and civil victims in Iran issued a statement declaring January 25 as a day to pay tribute to those killed in November.
Referring to the killing and suppression of protesters in November and following recent popular protests against poverty, discrimination, and injustice, the statement states that "our children in Iran take to the streets to enjoy freedom and a humane life and are murdered by government forces."
Nahid Shirbisheh, mother of Pouya Bakhtiari, Shahnaz Akmal, mother of Mostafa Karim Beigi, Ameneh Ghaderi, mother of Zanyar and Loghman Mordadi, Sholeh Pakravan, mother of Reyhaneh Jabbari, and Mansoureh Behkish, members of the families of those executed in 2018, and a number of other mothers of victims who are all signatories of this statement, called for the dispatch of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to visit Iran and for the establishment of a fact-finding committee with the presence and supervision of the affected families to investigate the dimensions of the disaster and to announce the exact number of those killed, injured, and detained.
The signatories of this statement, while calling the repression of recent popular protests by the Iranian government a "crime against humanity," called for the direct perpetrators of the repression to be brought to justice in international courts, and called on the Iranian people to condemn the crimes of the Islamic Republic in any way they can on this day.
Following the sudden increase in gasoline prices, Iran witnessed widespread protests against the Islamic Republic. On Friday, November 14, after news of the sudden increase in gasoline prices was released, protests took place in various cities in Iran, and just one day after the protests began, the Islamic Republic almost completely cut off the internet on Saturday night, November 15.
In its latest report on the repression of popular protests in November, Amnesty International announced that, based on reliable reports collected by the organization, at least 304 people were killed and thousands injured between November 15 and 18.
Previously, Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, referred to the popular protests in Iran in a press conference on Thursday, December 4, calling it the biggest crisis in the Islamic Republic's history and saying that perhaps a thousand people have been killed since the protests began in Iran, but the Iranian regime does not allow accurate information.
President Donald Trump also reacted once again to the Iranian government's actions against the protesters on Tuesday, December 1, and said on the sidelines of a NATO summit: "It is very unfortunate that protesters in Iran were killed simply because they were protesting."
On the sidelines of this gathering, the US President repeatedly mentioned the issue of Iranian protesters and America's support for the Iranian people, saying: "The protesters in Iran are seeking freedom, and we fully support them."
Source: Voice of America
