Utah
‘Women, life, freedom’: Utah Iranians join protests around the world for the Iranian people
A gaggle of near 100 Iranians and others in Salt Lake Metropolis joined protests world wide in solidarity with protesters in Iran on Saturday. (Emily Ashcraft, KSL.com)
Estimated learn time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Near 100 folks, principally Iranians dwelling in Utah, gathered at Washington Sq. Park and marched via downtown on Saturday to protest the Iranian authorities and up to date deaths within the nation.
A person named Mohammad, who got here to Utah from Iran in January to check on the College of Utah, mentioned they’re asking for the federal government to cease oppressing ladies, the proper to their lives, and freedom from the federal government.
“We would like ladies to be free, we wish life, we wish freedom. That is all we wish,” Mohammad mentioned.
All of his household is in Iran, and he requested KSL.com to maintain his final title out of this text to guard them. He mentioned he has not been capable of contact them for about two months as a result of the web is shut down of their nation.
Whatever the lack of web, he mentioned the persons are nonetheless standing up, and this time he believes they’re extra united behind a revolution as a result of they know they want a regime change. Though there are lots of ethnicities in Iran and the federal government has inspired division, he mentioned he believes the persons are united proper now — citing a number of Iranian ethnicities represented on the protest.
“The Islamic regime tried to separate us. … We’re all united to kick down this regime,” Mohamad mentioned. “We’re all united due to ‘ladies, life, freedom.’”
Mohammad mentioned he was in Iran throughout Bloody November in 2019, when the federal government shut down the web and killed 1,500 folks over the span of three days.
Reuters reported protests over fuel costs morphed right into a protest towards the federal government, and Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered authorities officers to do no matter it took to cease the protests. Reuters mentioned about 1,500 folks had been killed via experiences from Iranian inside ministry officers, however worldwide human rights teams and america reported smaller numbers.
Mohammad mentioned the world did not discover on the time. This protest, three years later, is certainly one of 150 protests world wide to recollect these folks and demand change.
For him, the web shutdown made making use of for school in america a lot tougher. He was a pupil on the College of Tehran in Iran and was making use of for graduate packages in america, which required the web to ship purposes and take exams.
Mohammad mentioned he remembers one protest particularly on the College of Tehran. He was there and watched as police got here to close down the protest, folks had been arrested and killed.
“I fully really feel what is going on now, and this time is extra extreme as compared,” Mohammad mentioned. “This one is basically revolutionary.”
Saeed, an organizer of the protest who helps run Free Iran SLC additionally requested that his final title be withheld. He mentioned his mom nonetheless lives in Iran and he needs to maintain her protected and be capable of go to her sooner or later.
Though Saeed mentioned these protests led by Free Iran SLC have been taking place nearly each Saturday for the previous few months, along with occasions on the College of Utah, Saturday’s occasion was distinctive as a result of it coincided with a bigger worldwide protest in over 150 cities in reminiscence of Bloody November.
However what motivates his actions is the folks which can be being killed now.
“It is simply continuous murdering and killing, and we simply, we simply must put an finish to it. We simply must cease it. We simply must do no matter we are able to to cease it,” Saeed mentioned.
He mentioned Iranians in Utah are attempting to do no matter they’ll to assist, and they’re additionally elevating cash for folks in Iran — households of 1000’s of individuals arrested for protesting and those that are putting and never going to work. He mentioned getting cash to them is difficult and dangerous, however they’re doing their greatest.
Saeed mentioned there’s a giant Iranian inhabitants in Utah, together with over 200 college students on the College of Utah who need to take part within the Iranian revolution and “be the Iranian folks’s voice.”
By protests in Utah, Saeed mentioned they’re hoping to boost consciousness and put strain on politicians to take motion to guard human rights in Iran and never help the Iranian regime. He mentioned even one small motion could make a distinction.
Some protestors wore sheets with purple handprints or had a purple handprint on their indicators. Saeed mentioned these symbolize individuals who have died, together with youngsters.
“The Iranian regime is killing its personal folks. It is killing its personal folks, in order that’s why … we can not stand it,” Saeed mentioned.
About two weeks in the past, 227 members of Iran’s 290 parliament members signed a letter asking the judiciary to provide harsh sentences for arrested protesters, which may very well be 1000’s of individuals though the precise quantity will not be clear.
On Nov. 11, United Nations specialists urged Iranian authorities to not give costs punishable by dying for participation in peaceable demonstrations. A press launch mentioned they concern ladies and women who’ve been on the forefront of protests will likely be focused.
“We urge Iranian authorities to cease utilizing the dying penalty as a device to squash protests and reiterate our name to instantly launch all protesters who’ve been arbitrarily disadvantaged of their liberty for the only motive of exercising their respectable rights to freedom of opinion and expression, affiliation and peaceable meeting and for his or her actions to advertise and shield human rights and basic freedoms via peaceable means,” the specialists mentioned.
The U.N. mentioned 1000’s of peaceable protestors have been arrested since Sept. 16, after the dying of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly sporting her scarf too loosely and later died in police custody.
Mohammad mentioned Amini is from a Kurdish space in western Iran; Mohammad is from an identical space and can be Kurdish and was actually impacted by her story.
“For greater than per week, I could not do something,” he mentioned.
He mentioned within the space many individuals have stopped working and are out on the streets chanting “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi,” Kurdish for ladies, life, freedom. He mentioned the mantra started in Kurdish, and is spreading via the world.