Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis(@fridaghitis) a former CNN reporter and producer who is a columnist for world affairs. She is a weekly opinion contributor for CNN, a contributing journalist for The Washington Post, and a columnist for World Politics Review. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. see more idea on CNN.
CNN
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Above 40th day After Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of the ethically violated police of the Iranian regime, the protests sparked by her death grew wider, more defiant, more determined.
They also add to the moral imperative for the rest of the world to do more.
At Amini’s birthplace in Saqqez, where the 22-year-old girl also known as Zhina is buried, thousands of people Defying the police and turning around marks an important day in the funeral procession, even as security forces fire live bullets and tear gas to stop them.
Protests also took place in many other cities: In Isfahan, women waved black scarves in the air, chanting “Azadi, Azadi!” (“Freedom, freedom!”) in Farsi. In Shiraz, young women confidently walk the city sidewalks without veils, their hair flows above does not violate Iranian law. In Amol, where authorities shot dead protesters, unarmed men and women marched directly towards armed security forces, kneeling, raising their hands and declare they are ready to die for their cause.
While Amini’s death became the cause of this uprising, Mandatory hijab, or the hijab, that became its symbol, because her clash with the moral police was so familiar to so many women. She visited Tehran from her hometown in the Kurdish region of Iran last month when she was detained, allegedly not wearing the hijab properly – a woeful experience familiar to women. Iran, who are regularly harassed for minor clothing violations. Authorities later declared Amini died of illness while in the “re-education center”. Her family said she is perfectly healthy.
In the weeks since, the regime has kill hundreds of peaceful protestersamong them many children and idealistic young women.
One of the teens whose courage and death became a collective cry for help was Nika Shahkarami, a 16-year-old who disappeared last month after waving her headscarf during a protest. in Tehran, and then burned another headscarf in front of a small crowd.
Nika later died. Although the Iranian government and state media have declared her death to have nothing to do with the uprising, a CNN investigates found video and witness testimony showing she was hunted down by plainclothes Basiji militia – the security force used by the regime to crack down on protesters – after her demonstration. Eyewitnesses told CNN they saw Nika among the groups of protesters detained later that night. That was the last time she was seen, days before her battered body was returned to the grieving family. The current Her mother is also gathering protesters.
The courage of Iranians, young and old, to risk their lives for a chance at freedom, is defying the predictions of foreign observers. Recalling previous failed protests, many have argued that the strength of this protest, with chants of “Women, life, freedom”, was only slightly more than that. perish on the illusory social network.
But the protests continued. Seven weeks later, they have lasted longer than any uprising since the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi regime and brought today’s theocracy to power. And these protests are different from their predecessors. In 2009, Green Movement supported a reformist candidate. In 2019, protesters called for harsh economic conditions.
This time, women and men joined them, exclaiming, “Death to the dictator.” This is not about reform. This is about fundamental change.
Be honest. From the first day of the protest, this was inspiring, but also terrifying to watch. We have seen what the Islamic Republic is capable of. We fear for the safety of these brave people, and it seems irresponsible to encourage them. After all, the odds are stacked. However, they chose to continue the fight. They deserve our solidarity.
As a group of 12 female foreign ministers stated in a statement dated October 26, “We have a moral obligation” to support this women-led movement. But their freedom fighters in Iran need more than just symbolic support – even if symbols matter.
The United States and other Western powers have always been worried about supporting the Iranian protesters, because the regime has dismissed their opponents as tools of the West. Obama Administration allow such concerns to suppress its response during the 2009 protests. The Biden administration is trying to avoid making the same mistake. Currently, Washington has repeatedly voiced support for the protest movement. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced new sanctions against Iranians who participated in the suppression of protests.
That is a good start. Anyone – regime officials, Basiji militia, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps – involved in the destruction of the protests will be barred from entering the US. Other countries should follow suit.
But much more can be done.
Germany this week announced that, given the situation, there could be not “business as usual”, with Iranlaunched a wide-ranging diplomatic response that included a review of bilateral trade and financial relationships, support for NGOs to monitor crime against protesters, and expanded protections for “especially vulnerable Iranians,” among other efforts.
The United States, other allies, the world’s democracies, and any country that rejects the regime’s actions should participate in diplomatically isolating Iran. Diplomatic ties should continue, but as long as Iran kills protesters, relations will be downgraded. And Iran must be expelled from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Its presence there was a farce.
Then there’s the issue of the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – that the Biden administration have been working on recovery. Currently, talks to restore the deal, designed to delay Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons, are at an impasse as Iran continues to raise the stakes. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that he does not anticipate returning to the JCPOA in short term.” Such writing could mean that the target of reviving it is not completely dead yet.
The US and its allies want to keep Iran nuclear-free, an unattainable goal. But restarting the deal could bring hundreds of billions of dollars to the regime that is currently killing peaceful protesters, equip Russia with killer drones once massacred innocent Ukrainians and continued support terrorist groups across the Middle East. At the very least, the wisdom of reviving the nuclear deal must be reevaluated.
The unwavering bravery of Iranian women, of the Iranian people, is a timely moral test for the rest of the world. They deserve more than what they got.
