World leaders have condemned Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters as nationwide demonstrations continue to flare up across the country.
In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the European Union lauded the bravery displayed by the citizens of Iran and urgeed the regime to stop using lethal force and respect the right to peaceful protest. Protests have spread across several regions, prompting heavy deployment of security forces.
Iran has also imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity reduced to about one percent. Protests in Iran entered their thirteenth day as the movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living has now morphed into a call for the end of the present regime that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the pro-Western Shah.
In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the European Union lauded the bravery displayed by the citizens of Iran and condemned the reported crackdown by the regime.
“We commend the bravery of the Iranian people as they stand up for their dignity and their fundamental right to peaceful protest. We strongly condemn the killing of protestors, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people,” the statement read.
The nations called on Iranian government to end the use of aggressive force against the protesters and preserve their right to freedom of expression.
“Iran must immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force by its security forces including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij against protestors.
Too many lives – over 40 to date – have already been lost. The Iranian regime has the responsibility to protect its own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” as per the statement.
Meanwhile, Israeli experts say that the situation has reached an inflection point and could could worsen and even threaten the regime, Mako Israel reported.
As per Mako, over a million people have taken to the streets of Iran and the protest has spread to many regions. There is also an indication that the Revolutionary Guards have begun suppressing the protests.
Additionally, Time magazine quoted an Iranian doctor who said on the condition of anonymity that just six hospitals in the capital Tehran had recorded at least 217 protester deaths, “most by live ammunition.”