On a brisk Saturday afternoon, more than three dozen local Iranian Americans and their allies gathered in front of Trinity Church in Copley Square for another protest against atrocities committed by the Iranian government.
Some draped themselves in the flag of the old Iranian government, symbolizing better times in their country, while others carried placards portraying victims who have been executed for peacefully protesting against the government’s human rights violations.
“Zan. Zendegi. Azadi,’’ they shouted in Farsi, which translates to “Woman. Life. Freedom.”
The demonstration was one of nearly a dozen held across Boston since the death last September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested and beaten on the streets of Tehran by the morality police for wearing her hijab “improperly.” She died three days later at a nearby hospital. Her death has sparked protests worldwide, including in Boston.
The Independent Iranians of Boston (IIOB), the group leading the Boston protests, has held nearly a dozen rallies in Copley Square, Boston Common and on the Harvard Bridge since October. They urge attendees and others to “join the human chain” and demand actions such as expelling Iranian diplomats from Western countries.
“[When] all this happened, I was so emotional, and I felt I [needed] to do something about it,’’ said one of the IIOB’s organizers of the Boston-based protests. “I reached out to people in my community.”
The organizer asked not to be named for this article, saying she fears political retaliation against her family who lives in Iran.
Initially, the IIOB protested Amini’s death and spoke out against violence towards women in Iran. However, the protesters have expanded the scope of their criticism to target corruption, brutality and other violence committed by the Iranian government, according to the organization’s website.
Although the IIOB describes itself as a nonpolitical, nonreligious organization, it has pressured Congress to impose sanctions that would hold the Iranian government responsible for its atrocities, including its crackdown on protesters. It also demands an end to the Iranian government’s systematic persecution of women.
Since the beginning of the protests, more than 500 people, including 70 minors, have been killed in Iran for voicing their opposition to the government, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency, the press arm of an independent group seeking an end to the bloodshed in Iran.
The IIOB organizer said the group would keep pressing their cause to U.S. lawmakers. She hopes that “they [won’t] just sweep it under the rug.”
Fatemeh Aman, a non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the protests have been instrumental in spurring lawmakers to act. They are also a show of support for the Iranian people. However, she said she would advocate for “smart” and targeted sanctions that do not inadvertently harm ordinary Iranians.
“If you prevent Iran from selling oil, they’ll find other ways to continue, and some [human rights violators] will even benefit from sanctions.”
She also stressed the need for more open communication between the Iranian people and the rest of the world, adding, “we need to find ways of staying in touch with them.”
She emphasized the importance of using social media to hold the Iranian government accountable, saying that “making the Iranian government feel monitored” has been highly effective. While supportive of local efforts by organizations like the IIOB, Aman expressed the need for a larger, unified organization in the United States to promote human rights in Iran.
“We need a national organization that should be inclusive … and tolerant [of all Iranians].” She also acknowledged the role of the protests in helping to protect Iranian citizens from the government, emphasizing that they are central to protecting human rights.
During the recent Copley Square protest, the IIOB organizers vowed to keep up the momentum and pressure on Congress, pledging to return for another protest on Saturday, March 11.
This story was published in collaboration with Boston University’s Department of Journalism in the College of Communication. The student journalist is a member of a Reporting in Depth class taught by former Boston Globe reporter Meghan Irons.
Sampan supports efforts to defend human rights. Sampan does not, as a matter of policy, endorse platforms (or views) of individual political or organizing entities.
