Our country is facing difficult days. The Islamic Republic, on the one hand, has intensified its suppression of social movements, arrest of civil right activists, censoring and banning of the press, and limiting publication of books and press, on the other hand, by adding fuel to the atomic crisis and tension with the Western world and defying the international decisions, including the UN Security Council resolutions, has exposed our country to the danger of wider political and economic sanctions and military intervention.
Widespread and growing people’s resistance and solidarity of social movements has frightened the leaders of the Islamic Republic in the recent months. They are planning an attack against students, working movement activists, women, national rights activists, authors, teachers, and journalists, to create an atmosphere of fear and panic for the purpose of preventing the radicalization of people’s demands during the struggle process and creation of permanent resistance institutions in different parts of the country. They intend to increase their control domain over the society by arresting, imprisoning and openly threatening the people.
On July 9 th (anniversary of attacking students in Tehran and other cities by the regime’s repressive forces in 1999), the members of central council of Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat were arrested. A few hours later, Advar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat headquarter was raided brutally, sealed and confiscated and those who were present were all arrested.
In the evening of the next day (July 10 th ), Mansour Osanlou, president of the Tehran and suburb bus drivers union was again abducted, beaten and taken to an unknown location by rogues (known as “undercover forces”).
Ham-Mihan (Compatriot) news paper has been banned. Minister of Guidance has accused news papers of conducting “gradual coup d’etat” and threatened to ban them. Kar (Ilna) News Agency which was covering the news of social movements and the arrest of activists has also been banned.
During the recent months, by accusing women’s movement activists who participated in the June 12 th of the last year gathering of “activities against national security”, the regime sentenced them to several years in prison and receiving lashes. The Regime has intensified its attack and humiliation of women by accusing them of not obeying “Hejab” rules. According to the regime’s own statistics, hundreds have been arrested and thousands have been assaulted and beaten on the streets.
Members of Tehran and suburb bus drivers union have been laid off. They are under economic pressure and threat of being arrested and imprisoned to stop demanding their rights.
Student activists are being persecuted by the security forces all over the country. Revolutionary Guard Mobilization forces have been settled at the universities. Students have been expelled from the universities. Eight students of Amir Kabir University have been arrested and tortured by fabricating their publications.
University professors are being expelled from the universities under different pretexts. Teachers have been suppressed for demanding increases in their salaries and a decent life compatible with their work. The whereabouts of many of the arrested ones are still unknown.
Activists affiliated to various national minorities in Kurdistan, Khuzestan, and Azerbaijan are under prosecution. Struggles of people of these areas are being suppressed. Journalists and human right activists in Kurdistan and Azerbaijan have been convicted to several years in jail because of covering news and reports of these areas.
A number of compatriots, who are residents of foreign countries, have been arrested or prohibited from leaving the country on trumped up charges.
The attack on social movements, repression, arrest of civic institute activists and the spread of repression to the society as a whole, are rooted in the economic crisis facing the society; unemployment and the spread of poverty in the society, increase in inflation , efficiency crisis, tougher international sanctions and its effect on economy and growing people’s dissatisfaction and the rise in people’s social movements. The Islamic Republic is seeing its final days in the rise of these movements. The rise in social movements is the sign of irrevocable vulnerability of the ruling political dictatorship. Social movement activists are demanding their rights of having civic institutions, social, economic, and political freedom, equality, and an end to discrimination. They are asking for recognition of basic rights and freedoms of human being, liberty of conscience and expression, freedom of press, professional security for journalists, abolition of censorship, etc. The Islamic Republic does not tolerate these demands and tries to suppress people’s resistance against its dictatorship by oppression, imprisonment, and abduction of social movement activists.
We, the signatories of this statement, express our objection against repression, imprisonment, and intensified pressure policy of the Islamic Republic, and demand collective struggle and resistance to defeat the regime’s new wave of repressive policy.
We ask all freedom loving forces and all civic movement activists to defy the regime’s repressive forces in suppressing people’s just activities in any way fits their own circumstances.
We call upon all the political forces and activists of pro rights and freedom institutions abroad to reflect people’s struggle and resistance against regime’s repressive policy. We ask them to appeal to the international communities, human rights institutions, public opinion, progressive parties and organizations of their residence countries to put pressure on the Iranian regime to observe people’s rights, and recognize its own ratification of human rights treaty and end its frequent violation.
We call upon all republicans, democrats, and freedom lovers to unite against Islamic Republic repressive policy to defend rights and freedoms of various groups of our people.
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
The Union of People’s Fedaian of Iran
The Organization of Iranian People’s Fedaian (Majority)
Komala Party – Iranian Kurdistan
July 12, 2007
