Iranian-Swedish Representative: Supporting Iranian Protesters Is Supporting Democracy
Azadeh Rebana-Gustavsen, an Iranian-American member of the Swedish Parliament, told Deutsche Welle that when the principles of democracy, human rights, and freedoms are violated in one country, the parliaments of other countries must react to it, in light of the protests by the Iranian people.
A group of Swedish parliamentarians gathered in front of the Swedish parliament building on Tuesday, November 19 (November 19) and took a group photo while holding placards with the hashtag "Iran protests" written on them.
Azadeh Rebana-Gustavsen, one of the organizers of the rally, told DW: "I and four other Iranian-American MPs who were in contact decided to support the Iranian people in a simple act and asked all five Swedish parties to join us. Our goal was to declare through this photo that defending the protesting Iranians is not a party issue, it is an issue of democracy, freedom of expression, human rights and freedom of assembly. Rights that every parliament must defend. Because these are the basic principles of democracy and if these principles are violated in one country, other parliaments must react to it."
The Social Democratic Party representative told DW that other measures are also on the way: "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. Rebsen-Gustavsson praised the Swedish Foreign Minister's action in a tweet in English, saying that the Swedish government, as a democratic state, is expected to defend the civil liberties of citizens of other countries.
Earlier, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde wrote in a tweet: "A large number of Swedes have relatives and friends in Iran and are concerned about the rising tensions in this country."
He also wrote that the Swedish Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Tehran are closely following the current situation in Iran. He called on the parties to the conflict to remain calm.
Source: DW
