Protest against Iranian violations held outside UN in New York

LONDON: Human rights groups on Wednesday organized a protest in New York against Iran’s alleged human rights violations.

The demonstration, held outside the UN offices, called on the international community to defend human rights in Iran through sanctions on Tehran.

Hundreds of Arabs, Iranians and Americans took part in the demonstration, which was organized by the Arab-American International Center for Human Rights and the US Organization for Justice and Peace in sub-zero temperatures.

They waved banners and demanded the Iranian regime be punished for its alleged violations of human rights and aggressive behavior in the Middle East.

Mishari Al-Aida, deputy secretary-general of the ArabAmerican International Center for Human Rights, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the protest was organized as a response to the violations by the Iranian regime and its alleged support for terrorism. Al-Aida added that “protesters waved banners bearing slogans and images highlighting the crimes and violations of the Iranian regime. In addition to this, they distributed magazines to reveal the crimes of Iranian terrorism around the world and its violations and interventions in the Middle East and neighboring countries.”

Included in the magazine was a list of men, women and children who have been executed by Iran over the last 10 years.

Militias and armed terrorist groups allegedly founded and supported by Iran — and which contributed to the deaths and displacement of thousands of women, children and defenseless civilians through proxy wars in Syria and Yemen — were also mentioned in the magazine.

The American Foundation for Defense of Democracies also issued a press statement on Wednesday at its International Human Rights Day celebrations calling on US President Donald Trump to support the efforts of the UN to impose additional sanctions on the Iranian regime.