In a statement they condemn her death and the “systematic oppression” of women. They call for “freedom and equal rights” for all Iranians. Tehran intensifies the repression and there are about 20 journalists arrested. Meanwhile, the protest crosses borders and hundreds of women demonstrated in Qamishli, in the Kurdish area of Syria.
Tehran () – Iranian Christians join the battle for truth and justice for the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman of Kurdish origin who died due to the violence she suffered when she was detained by the morality police. The fact has provoked horror and indignation and has triggered a series of protests that have already gone beyond the borders of the Islamic Republic in the fight for freedom and rights against the repression of the ayatollahs – who responded by force of bullets and arrests – with the women in the front row
“We, Hamgaam Council of United Iranian Churches, Article18 and Pars Theological Centre, as part of the Iranian Christian community, declare our solidarity with the family of Mahsa (Zina) Amini and support their demand for justice,” says a statement released in these hours. “And as citizens of our country – the document continues – we condemn in unison the systematic oppression of women and the widespread violation of human rights in Iran. At the same time we demand freedom, justice and equal rights for all Iranians.”
The Christian movements that signed the note praise “the unprecedented courage” that gives rise to the demonstrations and attack the obligation to wear the veil, which they define as a “clear violation of human rights” and therefore must be canceled “just like other discriminatory rules. “We are all united – they continue – without distinction of ethnicity, religion, language or creed, in this fight against the shared pain of injustice, oppression and religious dictatorship, as well as for our hope of life, freedom and equality”.
In the last 43 years, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, many Mahsa Amini have met death “just because they thought differently” and for this “we pray for the families of the victims, so that they can find peace in God. And we remind all our Christian compatriots – the note concludes – that we must be together with those who have no voice and the oppressed, defending their rights as the Bible teaches and Jesus Christ himself with his life.
Meanwhile, Tehran is reinforcing its repressive system by arresting scores of activists and journalists and fueling an increasingly fierce battle against representatives of civil society. Since the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman, more than 20 journalists have ended up in prison, according to the Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In jail there are also lawyers and personalities who are at the forefront of the fight for freedom of expression, such as Hossein Ronaghi, who was arrested last weekend. Interruptions to the internet network continue as well as restrictions on access to social networks and messaging applications. “By attacking journalists in a general context of violence and then restricting access to WhatsApp and Instagram – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) states in a note – the Iranian authorities send a clear message: there must be no coverage of the protests”.
The popular demonstrations, repressed in Iran, are spreading to many countries, not only in the West but also in the Middle East region itself, from Turkey to Iraq and Syria, where there is a significant Kurdish community. Yesterday, hundreds of women marched in Qamishli, in Syrian Kurdistan, to denounce the brutality of the morality police, burning hijabs and cutting their hair, a symbolic gesture of the revolt. “We support the protests and uprisings in Iran,” said Arwa al-Saleh, a member of the women’s rights NGO Kongra Star that promoted the protest. “We shout – she added – no to injustice, no to oppression… Yes to rights for all women”.
