DECLARATION

GAMAG stands with Iranian women and girls for their freedom and right to equality

Appalled by the brutal repression of the protests in Iran against the theocratic regime, led by women under the slogan “Zan, zendegi, azadi” (“Women, life, freedom”),  the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG):

• Stands in solidarity with  Iranian society, particularly the women leading the ongoing, justified protest against the regime’s systematic violations of human rights under the slogan “Zan, zendegi, azadi” (“Women, life, freedom”)

• Condemns the brutal official repression of the protest and the crackdown on the continuing demonstrations against the death of the young woman Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the “moral police”.
• Demands respect to the universal human right to freedom of expression and free access to information, now threatened by censorship, blocking of Internet access, violence against  photographers and journalists – women journalists in particular –  who are also subjected to arbitrary arrests and harsh sentences passed down in unjust trials.
• Requests the United Nations to initiate an independent investigation that can also propose a mechanism for bringing those responsible (especially relevant government authorities, members of the security and paramilitary forces) to justice.

With reference to the recent announcement of an amnesty for “tens of thousands” of prisoners and reductions in sentences for “a significant number” of convicted demonstrators, GAMAG:

• Expects that the act of pardoning prisoners routinely linked to the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution – goes beyond being a mere political gesture.
• Urges the Iranian regime to stop persecuting its own citizens, including women and girls, respecting their rights and safeguarding their lives.

Issued following the webinar on women’s freedom of expression in Iran.

February 8, 2023.