Some 4,000 Iranians protest in Berlin

Gerhard Schneibel

On Sunday in Berlin's city center, as many as 4,000 Iranians and Germans protested the recent vote in Iran and that country's recent crackdown on protestors and years of “murder and repression.” Hamid Nowzari, director of the organization Iranian Refuges in Berlin, said Sunday's protest was the largest thus far outside of Iran, and that more are planned. Berlin houses less than 5,000 Iranians in exile, but between 10 and 13,000 Iranian immigrants, according to Nowzari.

Hamid Nowzari has only had sporadic contact with his friends and relatives in Iran during the past few weeks, but the director of Iranian Refuges in Berlin is hard at work in his offices organizing protests.

Berlin saw a protest of as many as 4,000 Iranians and Germans in its city center Sunday. Last Sunday another 2,500 people also protested here, and as many as three smaller protests are planned for each week, Nowzari said. Signs held by demonstrators call Iran's domestic crackdown on its citizens after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared victor in that country's June 12 presidential election “murder” and “repression.”

Here, Iranians of many political persuasions have come together to express their support of democracy and human rights. Nowzari himself refused to vote in the Iranian elections because he believes the country's 86-member Islamic organ, the Assembly of Experts, has limited the candidate pool to those acceptable to the regime.

“All factions with different opinions supported the protestors in Iran together. Their will for more democracy and human rights,” he said.

Nowzari also believes that, while political arrests, bans and executions have long been commonplace in Iran, this past election marks the first instance in which the country's religious leadership has acted strongly on the behalf of a single candidate, Ahmadinejad. Three million miscounted votes are just the “tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“For the first time one faction inside the system is trying to pull all of the power to itself. It wasn't like that in the last 30 years, it was a balance, instead,” he said.

Despite the extensive unrest in Iran, Nowzari does not expect a major change in that country's political system. He fears what he calls a “lazy compromise behind the scenes” and said nothing will change until Iran separates religion from its government, grants equality to men and women and guarantees freedom of speech.

He hopes Germany, the European Union, the United States and all democratic governments will refuse to recognize the current Iranian government as legitimate. Iran is in a precarious situation and at risk of becoming a complete military dictatorship, he said.

Nowzari is also concerned about the fate of his friends and relatives in Iran. Contact with them via telephone, cell phone or email has been sporadic because all of those services are subject to being cut off without warning.

When he has been able to speak with them, he's been told about conditions in Iran. Security forces bang on citizen's doors on a daily basis, warning them to stay inside unless there is an emergency. No one is allowed on the street with a cell phone or a camera. The atmosphere is one of fear and repression, according to Nowzari. But, the Iranians continue to protest.

Iran-Solidarität Demonstration in Berlin

Berlin - 3.000 Iraner und Deutsche sammelten sich Sonntag am Stuttgarter Platz, um die demokratische Bewegung im Iran zu unterstützen.

Viele trugen Schilder, die grausame Bilder von tote und verletze iranische Demonstranten zeigten. Polizisten begleiteten die Demonstration bis zur Gedächtniskirche.

Bijan Farinia ist ein Student, ursprünglich aus Iran. Er organisierte die Demonstration durch
seine Webseite.

„Es geht nicht mehr um Wahlbetrug. Es geht um 30 Jahre Diktatur, die mit Waffen geführt wurde, und es war immer so, und heute wollen die Menschen im Iran das nicht mehr,” sagte Farinia

„Die Regierungen der Welt müssen diese Meinung und die Menschen im Iran, die Bewegung unterstützen.“

Seit dem 12. Juni protestieren Anhänger von Ahmadinischad-Gegner Mir Hussein Moussawi im Iran gegen die Wahlergebnisse, die Ahmadinischad nochmals Präsident genannt haben. Am Samstag waren 20 Demonstranten in Teheran getötet und mehr als 100 verletzt.

Die Meisten von den etwa 3.000 Menschen in der berliner Demo kamen aus Iran, aber die Deutschen die mitmachten waren nicht zurückhaltend mit ihrer Unterstützung des Iraners.

Lisa Lehmann, eine Iranistik und Persisch Studentin an der Freie Universität Berlin, hielte standhaft drei Stunden lang ein Schild – “Presse Freiheit.” Sie hat Freunde im Iran und will eine bessere Beziehung mit Iran bauen.

“Ich glaube die meisten Europäer haben ein falsches Bild der Iraner,” meinte sie.

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Politikerin Claudia Roth sympathisierte mit der iranischen Bevölkerung, als die Demonstranten an der Gedächtniskirche sammelten.

„Heute ist der Tag der tiefer Trauer," sagte sie. „Trauer um die toten, Trauer um die vielen vielen Verletzen die für ihrer unveräußerlichen Rechte auf die Straße gegangen sind."


fotos von Laura Imkamp