By Nykoel Dinardo
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East
TEHRAN, Iran – The United Nations, several state leaders, and human rights organizations throughout the world put out calls for the violence in Iran to cease. Following reports that Iran has been utilizing the Basij militia group, a grassroots military organization that has a reputation for brutality, demands that Iran take action to stop the violence continue to mount.
On June 22, Amnesty International (AI) released a press-release stating that it had received information that the Iranian government was allowing the Basij to take action against protesters, who continued to come together in the streets to object to election results. AI described the group as “a volunteer paramilitary force of men and women under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).” Many of its members are civilians, and they often wear no uniforms. However, reports that members of the Basij fired into a crowd of protesters on June 15 has sparked international outcry. The protest shootings killed at least eight people.
Videos of the demonstrations and the shootings have been appearing on news stations after someone anonymously posted a video to YouTube.com that showed a 26-year-old girl who was shot and died in the street. The girl, who was later learned to be Neda Salehi Agha Soltan, a music student, has become a martyr in Iran. The Iranian Government has banned memorial services and other gatherings in her honor. Despite the ban, her last words “I am burning,” have become an iconic phrase to the protesters.
On June 22, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made a statement about the violence. In the statement, he expressed his growing concern about reports of the violence, stating that he has been “dismayed by the post-election violence, particularly the use of force against civilians.” The Secretary-General urged Iran to put an immediate stop to the arrests, threats, and use of force, hoping that Iran would remember its dedication to fundamental civil and political rights.
Iran, however, has not taken kindly to the words of the UN Secretary General. Soon after Ban Ki-Moon’s statement was released, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi held a press conference where he criticized the UN. Calling the statement an example of “open interference” by the UN, Qashqavi went on to tell the press that “the United Nations Secretary General, under the influence of the negative atmosphere created by some powers… has ignored the realities of the recent presidential election in Iran.” Qashqavi also stated that he believed that Ban Ki-Moon will lose international support because he made such a statement.
For more information, please see:
Times Online – Neda Salehi Agha Soltan’s Story Touches Everyone Except Iran’s Rulers – 24 June 2009
Tehran Times – Iran Says UN Chief’s Remarks Are Examples of ‘Open Interference’ – 24 June 2009
Amnesty International – Iran: Amnesty International Urges Iran to Stop Using Basij Militia to Police Demonstrators – 22 June 2009
Reuters – UN’s Ban Urges Halt To Use of Force in Iran – 22 June 2009
United Nations – Secretary-General Dismayed By Post-Election Violence in Iran – 22 June 2009
