Thousands marched through Sydney streets in Australia on 10 December (International Human Rights Day) demanding democracy in Iran and justice for Jina Mahsa Amini and the growing number of democracy protesters who have been killed, arrested and tortured by the dictatorial regime in Iran.
The Iranian protesters have remained resolute in their determination to keep building the democracy movement, especially after Mohsen Shekari became the first democracy protester to be formally executed on 8 December.
At least 475 protesters have been killed by security forces and 18,240 others have been detained, according to the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency (HRANA).
“Woman, Life, Freedom!”, the now iconic slogan of this movement sweeping Iran, resounded in Persian, Kurdish and English all along the march, which stretched for more than a kilometre.
The Australian government recently announced that sanctions were being imposed on 13 individuals and two entities for “egregious human rights violations and abuses”.
Among those sanctioned were Iranian paramilitary group the Basij Resistance Force and six individuals who participated in the bloody crackdown on protests following the brutal state murder of Jina Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police.
“The Iranian regime’s flagrant and widespread disregard for the human rights of its own people has appalled Australians, and the perpetrators must be held accountable,” Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong said.
by Peter Boyle
