Two weeks ago, the International Organization to Preserve Human Rights in Iran (IOPHRI) announced that they would carry out further street actions for the freedom of prisoners of conscience in Iran. On Saturday 8 February 2014, they kept their promise. In front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, they shouted slogans for the freedom of opposition politicians Mehdi Karoubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, who are still under house arrest, as well as for the jailed Dervish lawyers, journalists, bloggers and poets.
Saturday afternoon, 8 February 2014, the activists from different regions of Europe rallied in front of the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin and chanted for the freedom of dissidents in Iran. At the same time a leading member of the human rights organization gave an interview to Radio Farda, which is broadcasting in Iran. During his interview, he specified why the organization makes efforts for the release of the prisoners as well as what kind of new developments in Iran need to be viewed with a critical eye.
Hassan Rohani promised his voters to improve the human rights situation. Since he took office some dissidents, such as the well known lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, were set free, but the majority of the prisoners of conscience are still languishing in custody, where part of the prisoners are partly or totally deprived of adequate medical care. The world is shocked by the further increase in executions. But when you realize that the judiciary, which is headed by Sadegh Larijani, is an independent power that doesn’t fall under the government and operates as a revolutionary revenge and arbitrary justice system based on fascist principles, it is understood that the new president made certain promises, which in the end will not be easy to implement.
In general, the regime is trying to scale down the street actions abroad or even keep quiet about them, but behind the scenes the various power factions argue vigorously about these protests abroad and the fundamentalist ideologues are spitting their venomous criticism. Mostly they attack Dr. Azmayesh, a leading member of IOPHRI, and accuse him of being an instrument of the enemies and of being active as a spy for France, England or the United States.
It is particularly annoying for the supporters of the fundamentalist system that the critical interviews from abroad are no longer blocked due to the fact that the U.S. temporarily is waiving sanctions on Iran and allows non-U.S. companies to provide the Iranian broadcaster with satellite services without being exposed to American penalties
IOPHRI contributed by repeated street actions to the release of the Sakharov Prize winner, Nasrin Sotoudeh. The organization will go on to carry out street actions, to show the representatives of the regime in Iran that it cannot continue unnoticed to violate the rights of its citizens.
Interview – http://www.radiofarda.com/audio/Audio/1079786.html
IOPHRI