METRODear Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, ladies and gentlemen, respected members of the United Nations General Assembly, it has been two years since the beginning of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. A civil society movement that has spread throughout Iran. This democratic movement expressed its demands through the slogan “Woman, life, freedom” and made a clear demand for democracy and equality in Iran.
As with previous popular uprisings and social movements, the price to pay for this mobilization of all sections of the Iranian population, who rose up in solidarity, was brutal repression, which continues to this day.
The world is witnessing massacres, executions, imprisonments and violent and ruthless repression of women in the streets, detention centres and prisons of Iran.
Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi
In recent days we have been concerned about the death sentences of several women activists (Pakhshan Azizi [militante kurde des droits des femmes] and Sharifeh Mohammadi [militante syndicaliste]).
Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of States, representatives of the Iranian government will be among you at the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
I urge you to demand respect for human rights as a precondition for any negotiation, at any level, which is the only possible way to achieve democracy and peace in the Middle East and Iran.
Stop mass executions
The time has come to act and I ask you, more than words, for concrete and effective measures.
I urge you to take all useful and immediate measures to:
– put an end to the mass, cruel and inhuman executions of prisoners sentenced to death in Iran;
– release all political and opinion prisoners arbitrarily detained, arrested and convicted;
– end the systematic and targeted repression of Iranian women and criminalize gender apartheid internationally;
– end the repression of independent civil society organisations.
Narges Mohammadi She is a journalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023. She is imprisoned in Evin prison. She is the author of “White Torture” (Albin Michel, 288 pages, 20.90 euros).
Text translated from Persian into French by Chirinne Ardakani.
