Iranian women became champions Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience 2023 They assured the European Parliament on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people and asked that no one contact the regime in Tehran.
At the press conference held before the award ceremony, A lot activists The winners condemned the situation in the country after accusing the Iranians of being “prisoners” in their territory. “The regime sees us as slaves, but we do not sit idly by and fight against executions and oppression,” Mersedeh Shahinkar said.
In this sense, he emphasized that “the Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people” and condemned the persecution in Iran since the arrival of the ayatollahs, who will turn 45 in January.
Activist Afsoon Najafi, on the other hand, insisted that “it is time for politicians to stop reaching out to Iranian leaders”, especially at a time when the pressure launched against the demonstrations sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman is known. September 2022.
At the press conference, he noted the absence of the family of Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for wearing her veil incorrectly. Iranian authorities ban travel to the country Strasbourg. Instead, the family’s lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, attended and asked for real support from the Iranian people, beyond slogans.
In his name, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola expressed her support for the cause of Iranian women. “Parliament is listening and supporting you. “You are not alone,” he said, recalling that the European Parliament had approved four resolutions condemning the crackdown in Tehran and demanding sanctions on those responsible for attacks on pro-democracy demonstrations.
The candidacy, which highlights the figure of the young Kurdish woman, received the support of the majority of the European Parliament groups after receiving the support of ‘populist’, social democrats and liberals.