Renewed protests in Waterloo Region follow the latest instance of violence in Iran. The regime announced it had executed a prisoner convicted of a crime allegedly committed during the country’s ongoing nationwide protests.
Dozens of community members gathered Saturday in Uptown Waterloo to demand an immediate stop to all executions of protestors and to end the brutal crackdowns on demonstrators.
Hootan Nakhost is one of many Iranian Canadians terrified for family members back in Iran.
“Honestly, it’s very hard for everyone in Iran right now, either they are protesting or not. It’s been very hard,” said Nakhost.
Fear in the Iranian community – both at home and abroad – is growing amid ongoing uprisings and continued violence in the country.
“It’s even one step further, they are officially saying we are executing these people,” said Nakhost.
The regime announced on Thursday the execution of 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari, a prisoner accused of blocking a street and attacking a security force member with a machete. It is the first known execution carried out by Tehran against a prisoner arrested in the protests. Other detainees from the months-long civil unrest also face the possibility of the death penalty.
“You never know what this government will do and whether they will be releasing these people or if they will be doing these sort of arbitrary punishments and executions,” said demonstrator Zohreh Jabbari.
Iran has been rocked by protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September.
“You know, the woman situation in Iran has been pretty dire so I’m not surprised that would bring so many people together on the streets,” added Jabbari.
According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, an estimated 475 people have been killed in the demonstrations amid the crackdowns, a number that Firouzeh Fayazi says is frightening.
“They are going to be executed. We know that they are just waiting for their time but that’s all we can do over here…be their voice to tell people please help us,” she said.
Human rights activists in Waterloo are calling on Canada to push back as rising arrest and death counts related to Iranian demonstrations remain at the forefront of their minds.
“We don’t want so much, we don’t want anything big. We want just our freedom…to have freedom to live our life,” said Fayazi.
One day after the death of Mohsen Shekari the Canadian government imposed new sanctions on Iran, citing human rights violations by their governments.
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