Nikta Esfandiari

 جوانترین کشته ی آبان خونین۲۰۱۹

Nikta Esfandani The Youngest victim of the regime crackdown on Iran protests .

November 2019 the security forces under the orders of Supreme leader Khameini in #Iran murdered over 1500 peaceful protesters  including 27 kids. 

#Nikta_Esfandani is the youngest victim of the regime crackdown on #IranProests. She was a 14yrs old musician whom just wanted to practice her #humanright to have a choice. But instead she was faced with Live Ammunition shot by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

We do not forgive or forget the memory of those killed in November, for which the government must be held accountable. 

#FreePoliticalPrisoners #HumanRightsHero ‬ #justiceforall #freedomofspeech  #stopwaroncivilians #ICHR #IRGCTerrorists #ICantBreatheinIran #FightRacism #NoToDictatorship  #RuleOfLaw  #FeeAllPoliticalPrisoners ‪#StopExecutionsInIran‬⁩ 

‎#آبان_ادامه_دارد 

 #خامنه_ای_دیکتاتور  #نه_به_اعدام  #نه_به_خشونت #نه_به_دولت_ديكتاتور

‎#نه_به_سركوب

OVER 1500 DEATHS & NO JUSTICE‬ Nov_2019 آبان٩٨

OVER 1500 DEATHS & NO JUSTICE‬ Nov_2019 آبان٩٨

به یاد کشته شدگان آبانماه که به دادخواهی از آنها نه می بخشیم، نه فراموش میکنیم

Over 1500 men, women, and #children have been killed by Iran’s #securityforces at the order of Supreme leader Khamenei during their crackdown on #peaceful_protests that erupted across #Iran between 15 and 19 November 2019, against the government’s human right violations and the outrageous price jump in #gasoline.” 

We do not forgive or forget the memory of those killed in November, for which the government must be held accountable. 

#FreePoliticalPrisoners #HumanRightsHero ‬ #justiceforall #freedomofspeech  #stopwaroncivilians #ICHR #IRGCTerrorists #ICantBreatheinIran  #NoToDictatorship  #RuleOfLaw  #FeeAllPoliticalPrisoners ‪#StopExecutionsInIran‬⁩ 

‎‏‎‪⁧‫#آبان_ادامه_دارد‬⁩ ⁧‫#آبان٩٨‬⁩ ⁧‫

‎ #خامنه_ای_دیکتاتور  #نه_به_اعدام  #نه_به_خشونت #نه_به_دولت_ديكتاتور

‎‏‎#نه_به_سركوب

There is no honour in honour killings

First Article (please click to see link)

Second Article (please click to see link)

I have two daughters.  It is my duty as a father to secure the personal security and human rights of my daughters.

The recent “honour killings” of innocent young women in Iran under the regime of the mullahs have horrified and terrified me. 

An “honour killing” is a murder. Plain and simple.  It is the opposite of honour.

In the past few months, there have been several heartbreaking and gruesome “honour killings” in Iran publicized in the media. 

While there is no official data on “honour killings” in Iran, internal news agency ISNA estimates that an average of 375 to 450 honor killings occur in the Islamic Republic of Iran every year.  It has been reported that twenty percent of murders in Iran are “honour killings”

This statistic is shocking.  One “honour killing” is one too many. Several hundred “honour killings” are a plague on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Iranian authorities have the blood of these victims on their hands.  The Islamic Republic of Iran has created and enforced laws that discriminate against females and make them second class citizens in both society and the law.  These discriminatory laws give the green light to those who seek to commit violence against women and girls in Iran. 

At the same time, the conservative Islamic legal system has shamefully failed to protect innocent and vulnerable women and girls from societal and family violence.  

It would be irresponsible for me as a father to return with my wife and two daughters to a country which treats women and girls as second-class citizens and fails to protect them from gender violence.  

Canada is a country where the lives of women and girls are valued the same as the lives of men and boys. Canada is a country where women and girls enjoy equality and protection in the law.  This helps me sleep at night as a father. 

                                                           #Stop_Executions_in_Iran

George Floyd

Watching the tragic and horrible killing of George Floyd, a black man who literally begged the police for his life, fills my heart with pain and sorrow.

George Floyd has become a martyr for Black Lives Matter, but no human being should have to die for meaningful change to happen. Every life is precious regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or political opinion. No matter where you live in the world, we have a moral obligation to speak out and take action against all human rights abuses.

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the state-sponsored suppression of human rights and social change has sadly become normalized. The Revolutionary Guards and other agents of the government serve and protect only the regime. We, the Iranian people, are trying to breathe with a knee on our necks.

I was inspired by the thousands and thousands of peaceful protestors in the United States and in many other countries around the world marching on the streets to demand justice for black lives. Human rights do not recognize borders and are a global issue that concern all human beings. We cannot stay silent.

It is unlawful for any government to respond to peaceful protests with tear gas, beatings, bullets, and imprisonment whether in Iran or the United States. A government that relies on force for its survival lacks legitimate authority to govern and will eventually fall, but until that happens, we must never stop demanding justice and positive change.

I urge all Iranians, especially those who have taken refuge in Canada from the oppression of the Islamic regime, to demand human rights and positive change in Iran. It is our responsibility to be the voices for Iranians inside Iran who are being silenced by this unlawful regime.

In memory of blue girl

Toronto Candle light vigil for blue girl 

Today I remember Sahar Khodayari (Blue Girl) who died last year after setting herself on fire. Her “crime” was that she disguised herself as a man to sneak into a soccer stadium to watch her favourite soccer team Esteghlal of Tehran which wears the colour blue. Sahar was arrested and detained for several days before she was released on bail. She was charged with committing a sinful act by appearing in public without a hijab. Sahar later set herself on fire in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran in protest of a possible sentence of six months.

Sahar’s tragic death is a horrible reminder that women and girls in Iran face gender discrimination and abuse in so many ways. 

I cannot tell my own daughters the story of the Blue Girl because it is too frightening. Fortunately, my daughters are now living in Canada which protects women’s human rights and freedoms. They have a promising future and equal opportunities in Canada.

I attended a memorial for Sahar in Canada because Sahar is a freedom fighter and a hero for all those who want equality and human rights in Iran.  I really hope that her tragic death will not be in vain.

Candlelight vigil in memory those who were murdered by the rulers of the Islamic regime of Iran