SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — People from the San Diego Iranian American community rallied on Tuesday, demanding a stop to what they believe have been mass arrests and executions in Iran.
Protesters held signs and displayed framed photos of imprisoned people as they stood outside the Hall of Justice courthouse. The rally was organized by the Coalition for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran (CDHRI) as a response to “alarming reports of mass arrests, executions, and the harassment of religious minorities,” according to their press release.
“Recent developments in Iran have led to increased discontent among the populace, with rising issues including severe water shortages, inflation, and frequent power outages exacerbating the situation,” CDHRI stated. “As tensions escalate between Iran and Israel, the Iranian regime has responded with a systematic increase in executions and political repression.
At the rally, people’s signs read phrases such as “Stop Tortue and Execution in Iran!” and “Free all arrested protestors in Iran.”
At least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, according to the United Nations. Bahram Maher, a protester at the demonstration, said that “human rights issues” in Iran should be a priority to the U.S.
“It’s so difficult to wake up every morning and read the news of more people who have been executed, just putting yourself in the shoes of their families and relatives — it’s really hard to see that,” Maher said.
Maher believes that this issue has not been a priority for other countries and hopes that demonstrations like this help bring more attention.
Another protester, Mona Rerezai, said these arrests violates human rights and that they need all the help they can get.
“We have to act instead of getting depressed,” Rerezai said. “We have to be hopeful and do something about the whole situation.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
