Student Day in Iran signifies the anniversary of the murder of three students at the University of Tehran on December 7th, 1953 by Iranian police under the regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (commonly known as Mohammad Reza Shah). The sentiment of Student Day is exceedingly relevant amidst the current protest in Iran against the abuses of the Islamic regime and police force.
Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami issued a statement to the current regime in anticipation of increased protest action around Student Day. “I advise the officials to appreciate this presence and instead of dealing with it inappropriately, take a softer approach and listen to them and with their help, recognize the wrong aspects of governance before it is too late for them to move towards good governance,” said Khatami, regarding the government’s handling of the protests. Since the escalation of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini (the 22 year old Kurdish Iranian woman who died in police custody after violating hijab laws), at least 448 protesters have been killed in the uproar according to the Iran Human Rights organization.
Former Pres. Mohammad Khatami
Khatami emphasized in his address that the essence of freedom and security are not mutually exclusive stating “Just as freedom is an urgent need and an important demand, security is also important for the country.” Khatami’s support is just what the Iranian people need to refuel their fight and stand their ground against the regime. Khatami reprimanded the Mohammad Khatami government for not paying attention to or valuing the rightful demands of the people. Khatami faulted Iran’s government a few weeks ago when he expressed via Twitter that the “bitter events” in Iran were being caused by the “faulty and incorrect mechanism and method of governance.” Khatami also called the phrase “Zan (woman), Zendegi (life), Azadi (freedom),” a beautiful message “that shows the movement towards a better future,” emphasizing that fighting hate with hate is ineffective and that focusing on uplifting the Iranian people will always have more value than attempting to tear the government down.
Similarly to Khatami, Iranian Summi cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi urged Iran’s judiciary to investigate and prosecute individuals guilty of abusing women in prison. CNN recently released an investigation revealing the abuse endured by female prisoners in Iran’s detention facilities, giving survivors and eyewitnesses who fled the country a platform to speak about the sexual abuse they suffered. Ismaeelzahi added that “news about the sexual assault of female prisoners with the intention of humiliating, suppressing and forcing them for confessions have been reported in the media, and some prisoners’ accounts confirm this,” and concluded his statement saying “It is necessary for the judiciary to prosecute these people and punish them severely.”
Protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini
(pictured signs read Zan (Woman) Zendegi (Life) Azadi (Freedom))
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/middleeast/iran-protests-khatami-former-president-intl
12 comments:
It's truly sad and aggravating how little the government in Iran is supporting and protecting women. Student day is meant to commemorate the deaths of the three students, yet at the same time so many government officials are killing hundreds of Iranian women who are also students. There have already been so many women killed by officials, which ultimately shows how hypocritical the Iranian government currently is. Wanting to commemorate the deaths of three students while also killing hundreds of female students makes no sense at all. If this day is meant to support and commemorate the lives lost, then why can't the regime support and ensure the safety of the rest of their citizens. Women are being assaulted and nothing is happening to protect them. Student day is meant to be "a day of collective action towards democracy and progress" yet how is progress actually being made, if officials are killing their own citizens?I'm not saying that the deaths of the three students is unimportant, but commemorating them while also committing the act that ended their lives, to others is extremely hypocritical and unjustified in every way.
https://en.radiozamaneh.com/33199/
Coming from an individual who does not know much about the situation in Iran, it is very shocking to see how chaotic the situation is between human rights and a dictatorship. It is upsetting to see the abuse of women becoming a norm, and I hope denouncing the regime is only the start of a serious change, including more human rights and freedom for women to express themselves.
I find the viewpoint of Iran's former president Khatami fascinating. At first, I was confused as to why an official of the Iranian government would speak out against the government's viewpoints; after all, an autocratic government holds power by quashing dissenters, so Khatami certainly couldn't have been anti-Islamic rule, right? However, after a quick few google searches, I learned that Khatami, who served as Iran's 5th president, really had no power. In fact, the President role in Iran is truly just a figurehead--he's elected by the people but has to bow down to the Supreme leader's wishes. Is this just a really long way of saying that Iran's government is full of irony? Absolutely.
I'd like to echo the sentiments both Jordan and Angelo expressed towards Iran's Supreme leader. Disgusting. Cruel. Unacceptable.
The Iranian government is autocratic and oppressive (especially against women). While there may be elections, they are largely a facade, as elected officials have no real power and can't even run for office if the government disapproves of them. The real power lies within the theocracy run by the Supreme Leader. Like all autocratic governments, they will try to repress any opposition, which is what has been occurring now. The only change that may come is through revolution (or the threat of one, which may still force change). Unless the current government is removed, it's likely that any change made will only be temporary to try to placate the protesters, such as the suspension of the morality police (which will likely be temporary until the government reasserts its authority). However, with some clerics and former government officials supporting the protest movements, it seems that they're sensing that the movement is growing and they don't want to be on the wrong side.
As we've seen with other authoritarian regimes, Iran demonstrates the conflict between the government and the people. Students and the younger generations have always been open-minded and sought protests against unfair treatment, like China's Tiananmen square where the government also suppressed students. The path to freedom and rights is always a hard-fought one, and support from the former President should help bring more attention to the issue. I agree with Andrew and Ben that the situation is very interesting in that the "elected" officials are mostly a facade, but the regime hasn't done more to censor these opposing viewpoints and criticism. I wonder how the regime will act to try to put down the protests without inciting more considering how big it has grown already. Either way, the Iranian government will be going through turmoil and shakeups to deal with the issue.
I was truly surprised by Khatami's role in these protests, as a person with power within this regime is actively speaking out against the current political climate within Iran. However, it turns out, as Ben mentioned, that the "president" truly holds almost no power in comparison to the supreme leader, Ali Khamanei. This goes to show another attempt to hold authority over Iran, as the position of president is simply just a title that proceeds to give the people false hope. In reality, Iran is entirely controlled by the Supreme Leader, and this dictatorship must be eliminated in order to protect these innocent people's lives. It really shows the lack of power other political leaders have in Iran against the supreme leader, since the most they can do is simply advocate for peace and respect rather than attempt to implement such actions. I also wonder what implications Khatami may face by speaking out against the regime, considering he was one of the only reformist presidents but is also directly contradicting Khamanei.
The situation in Iran is absolutely horrible and shocking. It is incredibly sad that the Iranian government commits its crimes in the name of Islam, even though almost everything they do goes against what Islam stands for. I also wonder what the international response would be if they weren't claiming to be acting out of Islam but Christianity or another religion. Obviously, many people are prejudiced against Muslims and perhaps they would care more about what is happening in Iran if it were a Christian nation. Either way, I wonder how long this human rights abuse will continue before there is some international effort to stop it. Historically, the world waits until it is too late before stepping in. Unfortunately, this will most likely occur again or no one will step in at all.
I completely agree with the former Iranian president’s remark stating that everyone should take a softer approach to understand the people’s opinions towards the future of the nation because the government needs to hear the words of its constituents in order to create a more cohesive and supportive and safe nation. He also notes that violence isn’t the way to handle things, which I completely agree with because violence is just going to cause more violence and uproar in the people, which isn’t going to help the nation’s security and safety in anyway, it’s just going to make it more chaotic, more dangerous to live in this environment that is full of endless opposition and hate towards the ruling of the government. Additionally, words are more powerful than actions in my opinion. As he states as well that it’s important to talk to others, the Iranian people, to uplift them, rather than tearing the government down through violence is really important because violence isn’t going to influence the government’s view on the people's needs in any way. It’s the words, the emotion that is represented through their speech to others is what will impact the government and possibly change the way they rule their people because of the emotions they received from their constituents. This connects to Mohammad’s Nonviolence that violence isn’t an effective way to get what you want.
What is occurring in Iran is extremely horrific and I am glad to see that some Iranian leaders agree. Before reading through this post and its comments, I lacked an understanding of the way the Iranian government worked. I was shocked to hear that the president, the second most powerful official in Iran, lacks control of foreign and domestic security along with the armed forces. In fact, the Iran constitution subordinates the executive branch to the Supreme Leader, ensuring that the president will have way less power in comparison.
Although it is upsetting that elected officials in Iran hold relatively no power compared to the Supreme Leader, I am still happy that the leaders Dariush mentioned in his original post decided to share their negative opinions towards their government. The president was elected by the people and has a high public profile so hopefully other leaders will start to speak out, encouraging change within the Iranian government.
I agree with what everyone has said so far. The situation that is happening in Iran is really cruel, and I am glad that the former Iranian president is coming out in support of the protests. Furthermore, the government can only do so much when it is controlled by the Supreme Leader. In order for change to occur, Iran has to go through a revolution or some type of coup. To add on, the fact that already 326 people were killed in these protests, including 43 children and 25 women, is heartbreaking. These people have their entire lives in front of them, and they are being killed because of Iran's oppressive regime. Finally, there are no signs of the president doing anything to rectify the situation, so I wonder how long it will take and if or when other countries will step in to try to fit the situation.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/12/middleeast/iran-protests-death-toll-intl-hnk/index.html
It is really amazing to see a past leader of a country condemning the wrongful acts in the country now participating in. I believe with Sarah that what really needs to change is Iran being controlled by a Supreme Leader. I believe that it would be very hard to stage a coup against a government to take down this dictator. If the country would continue its protest, there could be a chance for change that instead the Supreme Leader could take up a role similar to the British monarchy where they do not have the majority of the power and instead elected officials chosen by the Iranian people can represent them and I believe this should be the path that the People of Iran and its government should focus on doing.
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