GVF — Sixteen Iranian opposition groups have expressed their indignation at the Syrian regime’s ongoing onslaught against pro-democracy protests.

“[W]e, like many others in the world, have been saddened by the tragedies of Darra, Homs, and Hama; we are horrified by the massacre of more than ten thousand Syrian citizens by Assad’s brutal regime, and we salute you and your resistance,” the groups said in joint a statement.

“What makes the tragedies of Syria even more painful for many Iranians is the full partnership of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the regime of Bashar al-Assad,” they added. “The similarities of the tracing methods, the suppression techniques, the identical operational tactics used against the civilian protesters by pro-government Shabiha militia in Syria and by Basij militia in Iran, and the online tracking of Syrian activists are but a few of the numerous signs that warn us of the involvement of Iranian regime with the Assad regime.”

The statement also accused Iranian authorities of exploiting religious convictions in suppressing its citizens. “The Iranian government suppresses its Shia and non-Shia citizens by exploiting Shias’ religious beliefs inside Iran. Outside of Iran, in the name of Islam and under the pretense of defending Muslims, the Iranian regime pretends to support people of Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan.”

The organisation also called “on the people of Syria to prevent Assad’s regime from spreading ethnic and religious divisions among them. We hope that after fall of Assad, Syria will become a country in which all citizens are equal without any ethnic or religious discrimination.”

Recently, the Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope, the Green Movement’s highest decision-making authority, condemned the upsurge of violence in Syria and warned that the Syrian regime’s increasingly brutal crackdown on protesters could pave the way for yet another foreign intervention in the Middle East.

The council’s spokesperson Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand stressed the body’s support for “the renewed efforts by the freedom seeking Syrian citizens to achieve freedom and establish an independent and democratic government based on justice and human rights.”

The deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force recently told the semi-official ISNA news agency that the IRGC had indeed been involved in providing assistance to the Assad regime, but argued that the intervention had actually prevented further bloodshed in the country.
Full text of statement by sixteen Iranian organisations:

To the brave people of Syria,

Fifteen months have passed since the beginning of your freedom-seeking uprising. In these months we, like many others in the world, have been saddened by the tragedies of Darra, Homs, and Hama; we are horrified by the massacre of more than ten thousand Syrian citizens by Assad’s brutal regime, and we salute you and your resistance.

What makes the tragedies of Syria even more painful for many Iranians is the full partnership of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The similarities of the tracing methods, the suppression techniques, the identical operational tactics used against the civilian protesters by pro-government Shabiha militia in Syria and by Basij militia in Iran, and the online tracking of Syrian activists are but a few of the numerous signs that warn us of the involvement of Iranian regime with the Assad regime. Furthermore, recently the Iranian security and military officials are publicly bragging about the presence and involvement of the Quds Forces (the special branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) in Syria in support of the Syrian government.

The Iranian government suppresses its shia and non-shia citizens by exploiting shias’ religious beliefs inside Iran. Outside of Iran, in the name of Islam and under the pretense of defending Muslims, the Iranian regime pretends to support people of Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan. Yet in the case of Syrian people, this same government hypocritically and under the pretense of “resistance against Israel,” supports, assists, and justifies the brutalities of Assad regime, since it perceives that the fall of Bashar Al-Assad weakens the foundation of the Iranian regime.

The insufficient attention of the international community to the slaughter of the Syrian people and failing to enforce the arms sanctions on Assad’s regime, especially the violation of these sanctions by Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, have led to the most horrendous crimes in Syria. Unfortunately, the support of Assad’s criminal regime is not limited to a few hypocritical politicians. Many of the so-called peace activists, who claim to support the people of Gaza, Egypt, and Tunisia, fail to support Syrian people because of ideological excuses based on the “anti-western” status of the Syrian government. It is evident, that as long as Assad’s regime stays in power, the brutalities will intensify and restoring peace will remain uncertain. We invite all Iranians and the international community to not remain silent and to stand against the crimes of Assad regime. Our silence is a license to kill.

We call on the people of Syria to prevent Assad’s regime from spreading ethnic and religious divisions among them. We hope that after fall of Assad, Syria will become a country in which all citizens are equal without any ethnic or religious discrimination. Although the wounds of the recent tragedies cut deep, we hope that the Syrian people will look into the post-revolution brutalities of Iran’s 1979 revolution and abstain from the revenge and the revolutionary violence to avoid replacing one dictator with another.

We salute your resistance and we support you and your struggle until the end.

IranPORSA
Austin for Iran
Students for the Iranian Green Movement Association-SIGMA
Students’ Green Movement of Vancouver
Iranian liberal students and graduates (ILSG)
Green Activists for a Democratic Iran
Green Experts of Iran
Solidarity with Iran’s Democratic Movement – Edmonton (SIDME)
SabzHouston
Iranian democratic student association in George Washington University
Iranian Solidarity Network, Fresno
Green Students for a Democratic Iran – Southern California
Iranian Association for Human Rights and Democracy- Hamburg
Society for Democracy in Iran – Southern California
22 Khordad Group Hamburg
Ottawa Green Path