Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeIran News NowVideo: Mothers of Iran Protests’ Victims Echo Calls for Accountability

Video: Mothers of Iran Protests’ Victims Echo Calls for Accountability

Aban Mothers
Mothers of November 2019 victims attended paid tribute to Amir Hossain Zarezadeh, who was killed during the November 2019 protests.

“I don’t need anyone’s permission to hold a ceremony for my son,” these are the powerful words of a mother whose child was gunned down by the Iranian regime during the November 2019 uprising.

On Wednesday, mothers of November 2019 victims attended paid tribute to Amir Hossain Zarezadeh, who was killed during the November 2019 protests. His memorial ceremony was held at his childhood home, hosted by his mother.

Amir Hossain’s family had previously announced that they would be holding his memorial ceremony at his tomb near Emamzadeh Ebrahim in Karaj. But the regime’s security forces prevented the mourning family from having their ceremony in Karaj. Therefore, Amir Hossain’s mother commemorated her son by holding a ceremony at her house.

Amir Hossain’s brave mother also installed a banner near her home, paying tribute to all the November 2019 protests martyrs. Authorities tried to intimidate her, but a video published on social media shows her bravely calling for justice for her slain son and other martyrs.

Gathering of Mothers of the November 2019 Martyrs

“I will continue to put the [banner] up. I will continue installing pictures and continue to film them. I will continue putting pictures of youth killed in November [2019]. I don’t need your permission. You killed our children. What else do you want from us?” she tells the regime agent on the phone.

“You can send a thousand forces to my house. Are you afraid of my son’s picture or his grave? I put a large banner of the young people killed in November, and I will continue doing so because they were like my children,” she says. As Robert A. Heinlein said, being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation. Amir Hossain’s mother proved this in her remarks.

When threatened by the regime agent on the phone, she says, “What are you going to do with me? Kill me like you killed my son? Go ahead! I am ready. I am ready to die for my son. Come on, take me, and kill me.”

Amir Hossain Zarezadeh is one of over 1500 slain peaceful protesters who were gunned down in November 2019 by the regime’s security forces, many shot in the head and chest. The majority of the victims were young people.

Since the death of their children, brave mothers have been demanding justice for their loved ones, holding the regime accountable. These spirited mothers have continued their children’s struggle for freedom by echoing their calls for regime change.

These mothers, known as “Mothers for Justice,” continue their activities despite being threatened or even arrested.

On the eve of the regime’s sham presidential election in June 2021, these brave mothers called for boycotting the regime’s sham elections and endorsed regime change.

“Our vote is regime change. I do not forgive the unjustly spilled blood of my Mehrdad. My vote is the overthrow of this regime. People, if you vote, you are putting your finger in the blood of your compatriots who were murdered innocently during the bloody November [2019 uprising], like Mehrdad and many others,” one of the mothers said.

“Hello, I am the mother of martyr Milad Mohaveri. Like other mothers and families who share my grief, I completely agree with them. I hope a day will come when our people act logically and know that voting is a betrayal to our future generations and will not be forgiven,” another brave mother said.

Under Argentina’s military dictatorship, mothers of victims started a movement to find their disappeared loved ones and hold the culprits of crime against humanity accountable. This movement later became known as the “Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo” and tremendously impacted the military dictatorship’s downfall. This movement was recognized as reflecting Argentina’s society and its explosive potentials, allowing people to cry for freedom while attending the Mothers’ protests.

Weekly-Signe-up-logo-1

Now, the “Mother for Justice” movement in Iran is the outpouring of decades of vented anger toward the religious dictatorships ruling Iran. They echo the Iranian people’s desire for regime change. As the mother of Pejman Gholipour said, the justice-seeking movement has become “the regime’s nightmare,” fearing their downfall.

The international community should endorse their efforts to hold the criminals ruling Iran accountable. This will certainly end decades of systematic impunity in Iran, which has continued due to the world community’s silence about ongoing crimes against humanity in Iran.