Liverpool showed support for Iranian girls and women during their struggle for freedom.
The city came together over the weekend as an act of solidarity and protested against the oppression of women in the Middle Eastern country. The crowds chanted anti-regime slogans as they “tried to be the voice” of Iran to help the innocent citizens who face a “killer regime”.
Nader Mayeli, an Iranian-British researcher and the protest's organiser, told the ECHO : “It fills me with hope, and it is very encouraging to see that people from different backgrounds and nationalities care about gross human rights violations and freedom fighters in Iran. We all chanted and sang in solidarity with protesters in Iran.”
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Protests began in the country around 11 weeks ago following the murder of Mahsa Amini - a Kurdish woman who died after being severely beaten by the Iranian “morality police” for allegedly having an improper hijab and therefore violating Iran’s strict laws. The death of the 22-year-old sparked mass anti-regime protests across the country and it wasn’t long before the same anger was expressed in countries across the world.
Since then, reports suggest more than 450 protesters in Iran, including 40 children, have been killed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who are portraying the protests as “riots” instigated by foreign enemies. In addition, thousands more have been reportedly kidnapped, disappeared, arrested, tortured and raped in custody.
Nader, who previously told the ECHO he struggled to reach his family because of the regime "shutting down the internet", is currently organising another rally with the date and location being confirmed soon. But for now, he said the support for Iranian protesters must not slow down.
The 38-year-old, who was born in the Iranian capital Tehran but now lives in Liverpool city centre, added: “Right now, there is a crisis of impunity in Iran, and it has emboldened the Iranian authorities to kill thousands of protesters and torture and ill-treat thousands more in recent years without fear of consequences. It is time for the UK to support the protestors in Iran and to help tackle impunity for grave crimes in Iran.
“The regime in Iran is the most inhume of all of them. In Iran, someone’s crime is their hair flowing in the wind, someone’s crime is a female entering stadium, someone’s crime is a female singing and dancing in public or someone’s crime is like Toomaj Salehi who was brave enough to speak out.”
Toomaj Salehi is a dissident rapper who could now face the death penalty after backing the anti-government protests. The 31-year-old has been charged with “corruption on Earth” and also accused of spreading propaganda, cooperating with a hostile government and incitement to violence. The musician was arrested last month after posting videos of himself protesting and releasing clips of raps in support of the unrest.
Nader added: “What led to Toomaj's arrest? Expressing his disapproval of the regime through music and social media. Media pressure has proven to be one of the only vessels of impact on how the regime carries out sentences. Keeping the names of the innocent in the media has helped save their lives. Toomaj's story needs to be shared with the world. His life is in great danger and together we can help save him.”
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