Liberation organisation (formerly known as the Movement for Colonial Freedom, founded in 1954) – a long-established British organisation that campaigns against imperialism and for peace, human rights, and social justice, as well as the adopting of progressive foreign policies by the British government – would like to take this opportunity to re-state its unwavering commitment to, and solidarity with, all of those people bravely struggling in Iran for their human and democratic rights and a better future for the country in the face of the fierce repression and violence being meted out by the 40-year-old ruling dictatorship there.
Liberation hereby applauds the courage and principled steadfastness of those who have taken to the streets despite the increasingly huge risks involved – essentially shoring-up a popular protest movement that is rapidly approaching its three-month anniversary, a significant milestone as far as demonstrations in today’s Iran are concerned.
It has now been acknowledged by regime officials themselves that the death toll since this current wave of protests erupted, on Friday 16 September, is over 300 and at least 15,000 people have been arrested – with many mistreated and tortured during their detention.
Liberation is encouraged by yesterday’s reported developments whereby Iran’s attorney general declared the formal abolition of the so-called “morality police”, a particularly dreaded arm of the state’s enforcement apparatus and feature of life on Iran’s streets since the regime’s brutal consolidation of power back in the early-1980s. While this shows that the regime is on the back foot and hopes to placate the long-suffering people of Iran through such measures, it is also increasingly clear that merely cosmetic changes to the face of the regime and its enforcement apparatus are simply not enough – the popular protest movement demands nothing short of fundamental political change. Liberation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the protesters and people of Iran in their endeavours.
We reiterate our calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all of those detained merely as a result of their participation in the current wave of protests – as well as the immediate annulment of all death sentences handed out to those brought before the courts in relation to the protests, and its taking-off the table for those whose trials are pending.
We also support the steps taken thus far to launch a full and impartial investigation, under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council, into the catalogue of human rights violations alleged to have occurred in Iran since the protests erupted in September.
Liberation stresses that the future course of the protest movement and political developments in Iran are matters to be decided only by the Iranian people themselves – and we remain firmly opposed to any external intervention in Iran, under whatever pretext, and the disaster this would spell for the country, wider region, and world peace.
Finally, we once more repeat our call upon the Islamic Republic authorities to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Iran.
Photo: Solidarity protest in Melbourne / Matt Hrkac CC BY 2.0
