Right now, in these hours, days, a revolution is taking place in Iran.
People from all walks of life, professions, from all parts of the country, women, men, school children, the workers in the oil industry, the population of the Kurdish areas, the Baloch, those who speak Turkmen or Farsi, they all take take to the streets and fight for the end of the dictatorship, for their freedom.
This protest is led by the women. You are the object and subject of this revolution. They have not accepted their oppression over the years. They formed and organized against all resistance. Success has not failed. Iranian women like Marjane Satrapi shape culture worldwide. Iranian women make an important contribution to science. Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman to receive the Fields Medal, the most important award in mathematics.
The women remove the hijab from their heads in protest and publicly cut their hair. You know exactly what that means. The veil, as journalist and civil rights activist Masih Alinejad puts it, has become the Berlin wall for the regime in Tehran. When the veil falls, the dictator’s power falls. The power of images is inescapable. Everyone gets the message, and everyone gets it right away, all over the world. Women’s rights are human rights.
A revolution, not protests. The Iranian people make no demands on the regime. They do not demand reforms, they demand the death of the dictator. When it comes to civil liberties, there is no room for negotiation.
No regime is stronger than the will of the people
The people of Iran are fighting and they are doing it at the risk of their lives. Although only a small minority supports the totalitarian, misogynistic, macho regime, this minority is fanatical, armed to the teeth and willing to kill and die for the mullahs. It is the moment that every dictatorship waits. No power in the world can permanently deprive people of their basic rights. Any ideology, no matter how sophisticated and totalitarian, will one day succumb to the pressure of the streets. No dictatorship is stronger than the will of people to live their own lives. History has shown this time and time again. Every totalitarian regime is on a limb, in Russia, in China, in Iran. The majority will win sooner or later.
Right now, a revolution is taking place in Iran, but the governments of Europe seem to be afraid of it. The silence of the EU and the UN is deafening. It’s hard to find even a reasonable reason for it. The fear of a political vacuum? It is unfounded. The revolution in Iran brings people of all political persuasions together in this multi-ethnic state. The unity in the resistance against the Islamists is great.
Is it the fear of a new, further problem spot? Another open conflict in the region? Would caution and diplomatic restraint be therefore in order?
No, because it’s the exact opposite: The Islamic counter-revolution of 1979 is at the root of the malaise in the Middle East. It is the mullahs who promote terror and chaos in the region. It is the mullahs who are taking advantage of the instability – in Lebanon, in Syria. It is the mullahs, not the Iranian people, who are violating international agreements with the nuclear program. The position of the Iranian people is clear. Polls show that only a minority of the population profess Shia Islam, and a majority do not even identify as Muslim. The Constitutional Revolution of 1905 had already won a liberal constitution, and it was Khomeini and his henchmen who established a regime of oppression and terror against the majority of the population. The resistance against the mullahs never ceased. The people of Iran have never reconciled with their fascist, totalitarian and misogynistic policies.
A successful revolution is in our interest
In recent months, since the Russian attack on Ukraine, there has been much talk about the new world political axis that has emerged between the Kremlin and the mullahs. Moscow learned from Tehran how to circumvent international sanctions, how to protect its own corrupt elite and let only its own people suffer. The criminal knowledge transfer works. A successful revolution in Iran is also in the geopolitical interest of the democratic states.
The people of Iran stand alone and their demand is clear: every sign of solidarity helps this revolution. Every, even the smallest sign of support is necessary. The mullahs’ strategy is clear. They want to defeat and silence this revolution of freedom. That is why it is crucial that the message from the streets of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz is spread through all channels. Anyone who does not speak out now supports the mullahs.
Officially Switzerland is silent. There is nothing on the Federal Council website, no statement, no speech, no sign of support. Has the government in Bern lost its last courage? Has she fallen into opportunism? How often in recent years has Swiss politics championed a higher interest than preserving vested interests? When will the cabinet respond to the parliamentary interpellation at the end of September? Does she not have an answer to the simple questions of the parliamentarians? What has the Federal Council done in the UN Human Rights Council? Why doesn’t he publicly condemn the mullahs? What does she specifically do for the women who are persecuted to the core? Does the embassy in Tehran issue sufficient humanitarian visas? Is there a scholarship program for persecuted Iranian women?
Where is Switzerland?
Switzerland would have an important vote. With the mandate of the protecting power, it has been looking after the interests of the US in Iran since 1980. It is the depository of the Geneva Conventions. She is committed to the enforcement of international humanitarian law.
The Swiss government should follow the example of the Iranian people and remember the greatest political virtue. It’s the courage. It’s time to raise your voice. It is time to form political alliances. Switzerland can take the lead and, for example, lead a European initiative together with Austria, seat of OPEC and the International Atomic Energy Agency. For the people of Iran. For democracy and human rights. For the freedom.