It is by chanting “Woman, life, freedom” that hundreds of people marched on Sunday, September 15 in Paris to show their support for Iranian civil society, almost two years to the day after the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd killed for wearing an improperly worn veil in Iran, Agence France-Presse (AFP) noted. In total, 700 people, according to the police prefecture, took part in this march, which started at Place de la Bastille and ended not far from the Hôtel de Ville.
As 34 Iranian female prisoners began a hunger strike to celebrate the second anniversary of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, Chirinne Ardakani, a French-Iranian lawyer and member of the Iran Justice collective, said that the « sacrifices » Iranians opposed to the regime were not “not in vain”. “Everything has changed in Iran, in mentalities, in society”she told AFP. “We went from an absolutely patriarchal culture, where it was not even a question of them being able to unveil themselves in the street, to massive support for these women.”
“Distilling Fear”
The march, organized by about twenty human rights associations, received the support of Benjamin Brière and Louis Arnaud, two French nationals who had been arbitrarily arrested and detained in Iran before being released in May 2023 and last June respectively. Iran is accused of arresting Westerners without cause and using them as bargaining chips in state-to-state negotiations.
“How ironic that I am standing here today, I who spent almost two years in Evin Prison for my alleged participation in the September 2022 protests.”stressed Louis Arnaud, who was speaking publicly for the first time since his release. “Yes, I was in prison, but it was a great honour to have been able to live among you, freedom fighters, who shared my sorrows.”he continued.
Read our September 2023 story | Article reserved for our subscribers In Iran, a year after the death of Mahsa Amini, a quiet popular resistance to try to lead a “life without compromise”
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Three other French nationals are still detained in Iran: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, arrested in May 2022 and accused of being spies, as well as a man named Olivier, whose last name has not been made public.
Sylvie Brigot, executive director of Amnesty International, denounced the continuing repression. “The death penalty is still used massively as an instrument to instill fearshe lamented. And there are still thousands and thousands of people unjustly detained without trial.” At the Trocadéro, another demonstration bringing together 750 people, according to the police headquarters, took place, also in support of Iranians opposed to the regime.
