Zahra Rahnavard on Recent Middle East Protests

After her husband put out a statement, Zahra Rahnavard also has put out a statement praising the recent uprisings in the Arab world:

Today more than any other time we witness revolutions, movements and the struggles of oppressed nations against dictatorship, economic gaps, deception, corruption and incompetence of governments. Therefore it is natural that the core goals of nations is to achieve freedom and democracy, people’s ability to determine their own destiny as well as the elimination of police and totalitarian regimes and put an end to governments’ interference in people’s personal lives.
You, the oppressed women of Egypt, Tunisia and other oppressed countries, by standing side by side your nations and by making sacrifices and resisting against tyranny and repression have opened new chapters in the history of the people’s struggles.

The Green Movement of Iran also started with a key slogan of “Where Is My Vote?” against a coup election and because of the use of violence and repression [by the totalitarian government], rapidly turned into the calls for freedom, democracy and free election as the core the diverse demands of the people.
In this unfair battle, women side by side the nation and often on the front lines sacrificed their properties, lives, children and spouses in the holy path.

Beloved youth, like Neda, Sohrab, Ashakan, Shabnam, Ali, Roholamini and many others are examples of the [Green] martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the path of freedom and defending people’s rights. Also in this path the prisons of Iran have been filled with many freedom-seeking youth - the prisons that in them they have been physically and psychologically tortured. Additionally heavy sentences of executions, imprisonments and exiles have been issued without considering the rights of those arrested and with this false assumption that these will intimidate the people and stop them from pursuing their legitimate rights.

Today we, the proud women of Iran, are honored that we are in the same front along with our brave sisters in struggling nations and stand side by side the other layers of the society and the heroic women and men of the countries suffering from dictatorship - like Egypt, Tunisia and etc. - so that sooner we all witness the triumph of freedom and democracy.