Iranian women victims of nuclear negotiations
“The purpose of the nuclear talks, as we have explained many, many times, is to deal with the nuclear issue. It is not to deal with the human rights issue. It’s a separate concern,” This was a recent comment of US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. In the monotonous twelve year long negotiations with Iran western countries averted their eyes to the continuous atrocities Iranian regime perpetrates against its people, and in particular against women.
Iranian people and resistance’s cries for the torture and sufferings they receive under the religious tyranny were left unheard by US administration and other parties involved in the negotiations. Playacting as if Mullahs ruling Iran are a legitimate government, just like other UN members, is the great fault that has done a lot harm to the Iranian people and especially to Iranian women.
Protective and welfare programs for women, in Iran, are minimal but, while, there are numerous means and regulations to suppress them. A deputy to Iran’s president Rouhani for women’s affair has recently admitted,” Women in today’s Iran are like someone whose hands and legs are cross tied “.the Ayatollahs government has been harsh against women, not only for its fundamentalist misogyny, but also to suppress Iranian people’s desire for a free democratic society. P5+ 1 authorities have said a lot about Iran’s nuclear programs, but none about its mistreatments of women.
Deputy to Iran’s president, for women, has confessed, “Among all those who were recruited for government jobs, were 16 women comparing to more than 2000 men”. 36 years’ experience with the Iranian regime has shown that its first step to create fear and social suppression is to signalize women’s dress code and improper veiling. Last January, Movahedi Kermani, a clergy and Khamenei’s representative in Tehran’s Friday prayer labeled women with improper veiling as “home enemies “and called for “Jihad”- holy war - against them.
Similar speeches, last year, by Khamenei’s representative in Isfahan started a new raw of attacks on women by government affiliated gangs and thugs. Splashing acid on women and girls’ faces caused cases of blindness and burnt faces. Acid attacks and stabbing women by knife are state crimes that, naturally, no one has ever been, or will be, Arrested and punished for. Movahedi Kermani and other Mullahs, in different occasions, cite the same rhythm against women. In fact they call for Jihad against the whole Iranian people and, in particular, women, whom they recognize as their home enemies.
Meanwhile there are many female women rights and human rights activists undergoing severe tortures in jails around Iran. Lawyers, medics, students, government employees … etc., men and women are locked up in jails or even executed for their anti-government activities. A large number of political activists, put to death by this regime, were women. Reyhane jabbari, a 26 year old girl, whose fight back against an assaulting government security agent ended to his death, was arrested and later executed .Another young girl, in the Iranian Kurdistan, died when she jumped off a building when a government agent was trying to rape her.
Women in Iran are often stopped in the streets, or get arrested, by police for ‘improper veiling “or using make up. A report by Iranian police, regarding bothering women in the streets, reveals,” 18,081 cases have been referred to the judiciary, and in total 225,124 cases were sent for review. Around 2,091,798 cases were given warnings by the police”. Now and then young girls and boys are arrested and punished for participating in mixed parties. In a police raid at a party, in Mashhad, north of Iran, four years ago, a young girl who was trying to escape from suppressive forces jumped off the sixth floor and was killed instantly. Another aspect of discrimination against women in Iran was brought to the world’s attention last month when Iranian authorities prevented women from entering sport arenas
P5+1 countries did not choose not to ask Iranian negotiating team of its terrorist activities or human rights abuses , nevertheless, Mullahs discriminations against women originate from their rotten and misogynic ideas. This is one reason that women in Iran are the prime force to change the current system.
If US administration and its western allies may need another twelve years to realize that Iran belongs not to the Mullahs, but to the Iranian people, men and women, who are longing to create a democratic peaceful society, Iranian people won’t wait that long. They find their way to change the system.