Women dressed in black in the more religious and traditional provincial capital of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province took part in protests against the Iranian regime on Friday, Agence France-Presse reported.
– It is a rare photo, says the head of Iran’s Human Rights Organization, Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam.
– There were some small, small episodes where they take to the streets, but not as organized and thorough as now, he tells NRK.
The women carried banners reading “Women… Life… Freedom” and chanted “With or without the veil… towards a revolution,” according to what was shown by Agence France-Presse in a video clip.
A large part of the province’s population belongs to the Baloch ethnic and religious minority, and they are Sunni Muslims.
– I think the impact of the ongoing protests in Iran means that people who have been oppressed and felt like second-class citizens for several years no longer feel helpless, says Ameri Moghadam.
Excess procrastination
Iranian security forces killed at least 499 people in Iran during 2022, according to the International Health Regulations. According to the organization, the death toll is the highest in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Human rights group Amnesty International said earlier this week that the minority population in the Balochistan region faces deep-rooted discrimination.
– Amnesty said in a statement that the Baloch minority has borne the brunt of the horrific attacks launched by the security forces during the uprising that swept Iran since September.
the organization It documented 100 murders carried out by the Iranian authorities in the province during the period from September 30 to November 10 of this year.
The organization believes the actual death toll is much higher. According to the International Health Regulations, the number is 128.
On September 30, more than 90 people were killed in Zahedan during a clash between demonstrators and security forces after Friday prayers. The date became known as “Bloody Friday”.
Protestants are larger than Iran
Amiri Moghaddam at the International Health Regulations believes that the protests in Iran are an important step in the struggle for equality and women’s rights in general.
– If they succeed, and they will succeed sooner or later, it will have a very big impact on politics and the situation in many other places in the world, the IHR leader believes.
Head of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam.
Photo: Peter Berntsen/AFP
The international community has long tolerated apartheid against women. I must stop it. This is not culture, this is oppression.
We will look at the changes
According to Iran’s public prosecutor, the mandate to wear the headscarf for Iranian women must now be evaluated.
– The Attorney General said that both the National Assembly and the judiciary are working on this – whether the law needs any changes Mohammad Jaafar Montazeri on Friday when he was in the holy city of Qom.
The public prosecutor did not say anything about what could be changed in the law. It was quoted by the Iranian National News Agency (ISNA).
To be investigated by the United Nations
Amiri Moghaddam is convinced that the UN Human Rights Council has decided to conduct an investigation into the Iranian regime, but at the same time calls for clearer criticism from the international community.
Iran owes the United States, Great Britain and Israel the creation of what the Iranian authorities call riots.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said in a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the actions of the United States and other Western countries incite riots in Iran.
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