LONDON: Iranian opposition leaders in the UK are “disgusted” at the failure of British politicians, including Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn to condemn regime brutality as the death toll continues to climb seven days after protests began in Iran.
“Both the prime minister and the opposition party here have stayed completely silent when Iranian youth are being slaughtered in the streets of Iran,” said Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK.
“It is outrageous and not acceptable.”
Anglo-Iranian communities will gather outside the prime minister’s residence at Downing Street on Thursday to call on May to break her silence.
“We want them to raise their voice of protest against the brutality of the regime against innocent, defenceless protestors and to support the demands of Iranian people for democratic regime change in Iran,” Jazayeri said.
Over the past seven days, government forces have been accused of excessive violence against protestors, with up to 30 people, including teenagers and children killed and more than 1,000 arrested during clashes across the country.
The protests began over economic grievances before turning into calls for the downfall of the regime, with chants of “death to the dictator” in a rallying cry against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Corbyn, who has previously praised Iran’s “tolerance and acceptance of other faiths, traditions and ethnic groupings in Iran,” and received payments of up to $20,000 for hosting phone-ins on Iranian state-owned broadcaster Press TV, has been criticized for failing to comment on the protests.
“Mr Corbyn, who himself has always said that he supports democracy and freedom…should start putting pressure on the British government to take a very very strong position. Unfortunately this is not happening,” Hossein Abedini of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Jazayeri said there are “thousands of Anglo-Iranians living in the UK who are disgusted by Corbyn’s complete silence … how can you stay silent when you can see women and children are being beaten to death?”
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for freedom of expression in Iran in a post on Facebook.
“The UK is watching events in Iran closely. We believe that there should be meaningful debate about the legitimate and important issues the protesters are raising and we look to the Iranian authorities to permit this,” he wrote.
“We regret the loss of life that has occurred in the protests in Iran and call on all concerned to refrain from violence and for international obligations on human rights to be observed.”
Groups opposed to the Iranian regime in the UK expressed disappointment at Johnson’s “weak” response and the failure of other leading politicians to speak out.
“I think this is really shameful that some politicians are still quiet and haven’t made any statement in support of the Iranian people … saying that the people have the right to protest is not sufficient,” said Abedini.
“It’s clear that this regime is very strongly despised by the massive majority of the Iranian people.”
“The demonstrations have not stopped; it is gathering more momentum and the people have shown that they want nothing less than the downfall of the Iranian regime and the establishment of a democratic and free Iran.”
Iran opposition figures slam UK’s ‘shameful’ silence on protests
Iran opposition figures slam UK’s ‘shameful’ silence on protests
UN urges all sides to ‘see reason’ in Iran-US conflict
- “I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the USA, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran,” Turk said
- “To avert these terrible consequences for civilians, I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate”
GENEVA: The United Nations’ rights chief deplored Saturday’s strikes in the Middle East and urged all parties to return to negotiations, saying attacks would only result in “death, destruction and human misery.”
“I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the United States of America, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran,” Volker Turk said in a statement.
“As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price.
“Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.
“To avert these terrible consequences for civilians, I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the negotiating table where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier,” he said.
“Failing to do so risks an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region.”
On Thursday, US and Iranian negotiators held indirect talks in Geneva, through Omani mediators, on Tehran’s nuclear program — within sight of Turk’s offices in the Swiss city.
He reminded all parties that the protection of civilians was paramount in armed conflict, insisting that those who violated the rules of war must be held accountable.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said the agency was concerned by the “grave risk to people’s health” from the expanding conflict.
“The threat of nuclear facilities being impacted is especially worrying,” he said.
“All must be done to reduce any nuclear safety risk, which may affect people in the region,” he added.
“We urge leaders to choose the challenging path of dialogue over the senseless route of destruction.”
