Compared
to how the U.S. reacted in 2009 to protests in Iran, it, and the rest
of the international community, must now intervene before another
regional and global crisis erupts. (AP Photo)
"Human
rights are not the gift of governments; they are the inalienable rights
of the people themselves," U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said
as the Security Council convened for an emergency meeting on Friday to
discuss the uprisings that have shaken Iran since the turn of the year.
"The Iranian regime is now on notice: The world will be watching what
you do."
President
Trump’s open support for the people of Iran was a welcome break from
the tradition set by his predecessor, who was more inclined toward
endearing himself with the rulers of Iran rather than paying attention
to the grievances of the people. However, the international community
needs to do more collectively.
European
states have yet to recognize in earnest the rights of the tens of
thousands of Iranian people taking to the streets to protest against the
regime’s corruption and suppression of their most basic rights.
In
the Security Council meeting, French ambassador François Delattre
downplayed the protests, claiming “they do not constitute, per se, a
threat to international peace and security.” He further said that it is
up to the Iranian people alone to “pursue the path of peaceful dialogue”
based on “full respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the
Iranian people” with a regime that is neither capable of engaging in
dialogue, nor has any appreciation for fundamental rights and freedoms.
Meanwhile, the U.K. ambassador was more interested in preserving the
flawed agreement over Iran’s nuclear program rather than voicing concern
about the dozens who have been killed by Iran’s security forces and the
fate of the thousands who have been arrested.
As
protests raged across Iran, various voices are urging the U.S. and
other states to “avoid intervening in the internal affairs” of Iran, a
euphemism for doing nothing. Most prominent among them are known lobbies
of the Iranian regime, former officials from the Obama administration,
and states and organizations that have an economic or political stake in
the continued rule of mullahs in Iran.
Under
their subjective interpretation, supporting the protestors’ basic human
rights counts as an intervention in internal affairs, but cutting trade
deals with and filling the coffers of the regime that suppresses those
protestors doesn’t.
Interestingly,
most of these people criticized President Trump when he declared his
administration’s policy toward Iran, arguing that a tough stance toward
Tehran would prod the people of Iran to unite with their rulers against
the West. To their dismay, the protests that have erupted in the past
few weeks proved that any effort that would undermine the authority of
the regime will empower the people of Iran, who have been fed up with
their regime’s repression and corruption for decades.
In
fact, the real problem isn’t that the international community is
interfering in Iran’s internal affairs — it’s that it isn’t doing enough
to help the people of Iran achieve their aspirations for freedom and
democracy.
We’ve
already seen what “doing nothing” yields. We saw it in 2009 in Iran,
when the Obama administration decided to remain on the sidelines as the
regime quelled protests in Iran. We saw it again in Syria, where
non-intervention by the international community led to the slaughter of
hundreds of thousands of civilians, a prolonged war, a global crisis,
and the rise of the Islamic State.
This
time around, the international community must intervene before another
regional and global crisis erupts. Both the U.S. and Europe should make
it clear through targeted sanctions that they will not partake in any
economic activity with any Iranian individual or entity engaged in human
rights violations. They should also take measures to help Iranians
circumvent the regime’s censorship of internet and messaging apps. This
is where the tech community and tech companies can also play an active
and productive role.
Finally,
supporting the Iranian opposition, namely the National Council of
Resistance of Iran, which has been striving for a secular and democratic
state for more than three decades, will be a vital step toward helping
the Iranian people reclaim their rights.
As
Ambassador Haley said, "In the end, the Iranian people will determine
their own destiny." The international community has the responsibility
to provide them with the tools and the support to fulfill that destiny.
#لاهیجان
#مشهد #ماهشهر #نوشهر #يزد #ورامين #هفت_تپه #كامياران #نيريز #جوانرود
#هرمزگان #فومن #گچساران #جنبش_دادخواهی #سرپل_ذهاب #مرگ_بر_اصل_ولایت_فقیه
#زنده_باد_ارتش_آزادی #تابستان_۶۷_كجا_بودي @massacre_67
هیچ نظری موجود نیست:
ارسال یک نظر