Thousands of demonstrators with Iranian ties flooded into Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in the shadow of the United Nations on Tuesday to speak out against the country’s president and human rights abuses they say are taking place under his leadership.
A sea of protesters gathered in protest of President Ebrahim Raisi who was scheduled to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 19. Waving Iranian flags, and chanting, the mass of humanity decried Raisi for what they cited as crimes against humanity.
“This government is not only evil, it is corrupt and incompetent,” former Senator John Lieberman charged to the roaring crowd. “This kind of evil regime that feeds off its positions of power will not go willingly from power.”
The event was coordinated by the Organization of Iranian American Communities and saw thousands of Iranians travel to the Big Apple from across the United States in order to coincide with the General Assembly. The activists aimed to shine a light on the one-year anniversary of protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died under suspicious circumstances following an arrest for not wearing her hijab.
Speakers criticized the country’s treatment of women and the strict restrictions placed upon them by the government. According to women who hail from Iran, females are considered akin to sexual objects with men taking multiple wives while females need the consent of a man to marry.
It is due to these allegations many of the demonstrators say they are looking to have their voices heard as President Raisi has his amplified on the UN stage.
Iranian students and early career professionals also shared their outrage citing over 30 years of mistreatment and abuse, especially Iranians being convicted of crimes without due process or fair trials. The students called the invitation given to Raisi to speak at the UN a grave mistake and a “blatant disregard of his role as a member of the death commission.”
Saba Rezai shared that her uncle, Dr. Firouz Daneshgari, was in his last year of medical school when he fell victim to the execution spree approved by Raisi.
“My uncle desired freedom, he desired democracy for his people and because of this was arrested in 1983 and then at the age of 32 was executed under the orders of Raisi,” Rezai said
“It is clear that the Iranian regime has completely disregarded human rights through the brutal suppression of the nationwide demonstrations that spread throughout Iran. The Iranian regime has been engaging in violent crackdowns on peaceful protests, has arrested and disappeared thousands of people, and has executed hundreds in recent months,” Rezai said.
