Demonstrators from the Iranian diaspora living in the United States on Saturday (October 1) gathered in front of the White House for a candlelight vigil to express solidarity with anti-government protesters in Iran.
The protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian Kurdistan, have spiraled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran’s clerical authorities since 2019, with dozens killed in unrest across the country.
People also demonstrated in London, Rome, Madrid and other Western cities in solidarity with Iranian protesters, holding pictures of Amini, who died three days after being arrested by the Islamic Republic’s morality police for “unsuitable attire.”
Amnesty International has said a government crackdown on demonstrations has so far led to the death of at least 52 people, with hundreds injured. Rights groups say dozens of activists, students and artists have been detained.
The Washington demonstration was assembled by the Organization of Iranian American Communities. The OIAC is allied with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), which calls for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical leaders and fought alongside Saddam Hussein’s forces in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980’s.
(Production: Marat Sadana)
