Eiffel Tower Stands Bright And Tall In Support Of Iran Women
Eiffel Tower on Monday was lit up with slogans in support of Iranian anti-government protestors. The slogans read: "Femme, Vie, liberté" meaning "Woman, Life, Freedom", and "Stop Executions in Iran."
Iran women have been getting support from across the globe for their massive protest against the incumbent regime, its rules, and laws. Now, the iconic Eiffel Tower lit up with proud words of "Femme, Vie, liberté" supporting the cause and protesters in their fight against Iran's rapid executions and anti-women approach.
On Monday, 12,000 people marched to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, in solidarity with the Iranian anti-government protesters. While people gave strength to the protesters, Eiffel Tower glowed up with a slogan which when translated into English reads, "Woman, Life, Freedom". The second slogan that was displayed was "Stop Executions in Iran".
Four months after Mahsa Amini died in custody, the French capital's wrought-iron tower displayed these slogans which were one of the main chants of the protests. Amini was declared an honorary citizen of Paris posthumously in October. According to Paris City Hall, the displays atop Monday's Eiffel Tower were a tribute to both her and "those who are bravely fighting for their freedom as the (Iranian) regime is continuing executions of protestors."
Amini was arrested by the morality Police in Tehran for wearing her Hijab loosely. She was allegedly beaten to death in a police truck while being in custody. The state then released a video of her collapsing from a heart attack and not due to any violence. This news sparked fury. At her funeral, women protestors ripped their headscarves as a sign of protest.
Iran Executes Former Defence Ministry Official It Accused Of Being MI6 Spy
Iran on Saturday said that it executed dual Iranian-British national Akbari who once worked for the country's defence ministry. The announcement comes after Iran accused Akbari of being a spy for the British intelligence agency MI-6. Earlier, a highly edited video of Akbari was released discussing the allegations which, as per activists, were resembling other apparently coerced confessions.
The execution comes despite an outcry over the death sentence and those of others held amid nationwide protests. Iranian news agency Mizan, associated with the country’s judiciary, announced Ali Reza Akbari’s hanging without mentioning when it was carried out. As per the Associate Press, there were rumors Akbari had been executed days ago.
In response to the execution of a British-Iranian national suspected of espionage, France summoned Iran's top diplomat last week.
Death Sentence Criticised By United States & Britain
US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel criticised the death sentence on Friday. “The charges against Ali Reza Akbari and his sentencing to execution were politically motivated. His execution would be unconscionable,” he said, as quoted by AP. “We are greatly disturbed by the reports that Mr. Akbari was drugged, tortured while in custody, interrogated for thousands of hours, and forced to make false confessions,” he added.
The US State Department deputy spox further said, “More broadly, Iran’s practices of arbitrary and unjust detentions, forced confessions, and politically motivated executions are completely unacceptable and must end.”
Earlier, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had called on Iran to stop the execution.
“The Iranian regime should be in no doubt. We are watching the case of Ali Reza Akbari closely,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Iranian government has been alleging, without evidence, that foreign countries were behind the protests gripping the Islamic Republic following the death of Mahsa Amini in September. Protesters in Iran have expressed anger over heavy-handed policing, the entrenched power of the country’s Islamic clergy, and economic challenges.
According to AP, Akbari ran a private think tank and was not seen in public since 2019, when he was apparently arrested. He was reportedly close to a top security official in Iran named Ali Shamkhani which made analysts suggest that his death sentence could have been tied to a possible power struggle within Iran’s security apparatus amid the protests.
Notably, Akbari worked closely with U.N. observers previously to lead the implementation of a 1988 cease-fire between Iran and Iraq following their devastating eight-year war.
Details about his trial have not been released by authorities.
Iran is among the world’s top executioners. Those accused of espionage and other crimes related to national security are tried behind closed doors. Rights groups allege that the accused in such cases do not get to choose their own lawyers and are not even allowed to see the evidence against them.
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