The below is a story about the taste of freedom, and about the strength of standing against intolerable darkness.
It is time we condemn the reprehensible detention and killing of Mahsa Amini. Her death was a direct result of the systemic and continued harassment and repression of women by Iran. We must stand in solidarity with Mahsa’s loved ones and the Iranian women.
It is gravely concerning to see visuals of violent crackdowns on civilians resulting in additional deaths and injuries and a blatant violation of human rights.
Women’s rights are human rights. We must stand with the courageous Iranian women who are peacefully protesting for their basic rights. We must urge Iran to end discrimination and protect civilian rights to peaceful protest.
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“Under the Iranian code, the worth of a woman’s life equals half of a man’s, a point that often leads to grotesque legal judgments that effectively punish the victims. In this instance, the judge ruled that the ‘blood money’ for the two men was worth more than the life of the murdered nine-year-old girl, and he demanded that her family come up with thousands of dollars to finance their executions.”
~ Shirin Ebadi, Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope

“If we all packed our suitcases and boarded planes, what would be left of our country? If we bowed our heads and stayed quietly at home, permitting them to say that Islam allowed the assassination of writers and the execution of teenagers, what would be left of our faith?”
~ Shirin Ebadi, Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran
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Essays On Life
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