Governments, Politicians, and Foreign Institutions

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Robert Malley, Special Representative of the US Department of State, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Adviser, 21 US Congress Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also separately condemned the mandatory hijab laws in Iran. They demanded that the Iranian government allow the protesters to hold peaceful protests.
The European Union also said that the injuries inflicted on Mahsa Amini in police custody are unacceptable, and the perpetrators of this murder must be held accountable.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Storting in Norway separately reacted to the suppression of popular protests in Iran.
Senator Adam Schiff, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican member of the US House of Representatives Michael McCaul spoke about oppression against women and injustice towards protesters.
Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, also described the attack on brave Iranian women as an attack on humanity and called for recognition of women’s rights in Iran. And Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, stated: “Canada is gravely concerned by potential further crackdowns and the use of additional force against civilians. We call on Iran to stop escalating tensions and to refrain from committing further acts of violence against its own population”. “We salute the courage of the Iranian women who are peacefully protesting and we join them in sending the regime a very clear message: they must end all forms of persecution and violence against women,” she added.
British Foreign Minister James Cleverly and Gabriel Boric, President of Chile, called for respect for people’s protests and to end oppression against women.
Anonymous, a well-known hacktivist group, also came to the aid of Iranian protesters by organizing online to orchestrate cyber-attacks on Iranian officials and institutions and stated: “we will not keep the Iranian government alive on the internet.”
In addition, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is the United States ambassador to the United Nations under President Joe Biden, while announcing her support for the courage of Iranian women in the nationwide protests, wrote in her Twitter account: To the women in Iran standing up for basic freedoms: we stand in solidarity with you. Your bravery is an inspiration to people all over the world”.
Moreover, the government of Canada announced that it would sanction institutions and people responsible for violence against women in Iran, including the “Morality Police,” which played a role in the death of Mahsa Amini. On the tenth day of the nationwide protests in Iran, Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, called for the imposition of sanctions against the authorities of the Islamic Republic for suppressing the protests.
In this regard, the French newspaper, Libération, devoted its first page to the protests of the Iranian people. In addition, the British newspaper The Times published a cartoon and wrote: This is the biggest demonstration against the hijab in modern history. The Guardian Weekly also announced its support by portraying female Iranian protesters on its cover.
By publishing a statement, the European Council called on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately stop the “violent” suppression of the ongoing protests in the country and to guarantee citizens’ access to the Internet and the free flow of information.
On the other hand, Hundreds of women in the Kurdish city of Qamishli in Northeast Syria demonstrated in solidarity with Iranian women to condemn the death of Mahsa Amini who was an Iranian Kurdish woman.
Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also expressed concern about the suppression of protests by the security apparatus of the Islamic Republic and the restrictions imposed on the use of communication lines, the Internet and social networks in Iran and stated: “we are extremely concerned by comments by some leaders vilifying protesters, and by the apparent unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters. Firearms must never be used simply to disperse an assembly”.
Ahmad Massoud, an Afghan politician, said in response to nationwide protests in Iran, “everything that happens in Iran, more difficult of it happens Afghanistan; however, both of them are a common pain in which they defend for their rights.”
Rashid Farivar, an Iranian-born Swedish Politician and a Member of the Sweden Parliament, also announced his support for the protests in Iran by publishing a message.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on his Twitter account that “Iranian women should not be subject to arrest, let alone brutal beatings, for how they choose to dress. Iran’s government should listen to those protesting Mahsa Amini’s unconscionable death in police custody, not fire on them”. He also stated that we condemn the violence, the brutality exhibited by Iran’s security forces following Mahsa Amini’s death and that it is incumbent on the international community to speak out.
The Former United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also stated on his Twitter that “After more than 40 years of tyranny, the proud Iranian people are standing up to their government’s abuses. The American people stand with the people of Iran”.
Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, ended diplomatic ties with Iran in a video statement on September 7 and declared, “the Albanian government will consider restoring relations with Iran only when Iran is free.”
In addition, the representative of France condemned the death of Mahsa Amini and the “brutal” suppression of protesters by the security apparatus of the Islamic Republic and said: “The only fault of Mahsa Amini was that she did not wear a headscarf correctly.”
Josh Burns, the head of the Australian Labor Party Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, also reacted to the events in Iran. In addition, Isabelle Lonvis-Rome, the Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities in the Borne government, and Roland Rescuer, representative of the Minister of Industry of France, participated in the Iranian diaspora protest, which was held in Paris on September 26th in support of Iran’s demonstrations. By publishing a statement that criticized their colleagues in academic environments, dozens of feminist professors from universities around the world demanded to declare their solidarity with the Iranian protesters. They claimed that the protests of the Iranian people are a ‘feminist revolution” whose clear demand is to end a religious regime.”
Moreover, Jim Risch, the Republican Senator in the US stated that the protests indicate Iranians’ desire for a free and peaceful country. He also added that the Biden administration’s blind pursuit of a new nuclear deal will only empower the regime.” Democratic Senator Bob Menendez also said in a message that Iranian protesters should know that we in the United States and all over the world see and praise their courage against the violent, oppressive and misogynistic regime of Iran.
Rick Scott, Chris Van Hollen, Mitt Romney, and Mike Rounds, four American Senators, Giorgia Meloni, a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Italy, and Peter Khalil, a Member of the Australian House of Representatives, are among other foreign political figures who have reacted to the recent events in Iran.
More importantly, Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, announced the list of sanctions on 34 Iranian officials and entities about a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised measures against the Islamic Republic. The list includes 25 individuals and 9 entities such as Mohammed-Hossein Bagheri, Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces; Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); Esmail Qaani, Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Seyyed Mohammed Saleh Hashemi Golpayegani, Secretary of Iran’s Headquarters for the Office of Enjoining Right and Forbidding Evil; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Cyber Defense Command; Evin Prison, which houses political prisoners; Iran’s Morality Police, and Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, Head of the Morality Police; Esmail Khatib, Minister of Intelligence and Security and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
Similarly, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that six member states of the European Union, including Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic, have submitted 16 proposals for new European Union sanctions against Iran for its violent crackdown on protests over women’s rights.
Austria supports “together with our European partners,” Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Czechia, the extension of sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in Iran, the foreign ministry said. “The Federal Government is called upon to work to prevent and combat violence against women, including sexual and gender-based violence, and to address relevant individual cases such as the case of Mahsa Amini, also at the bilateral level,” said the for Foreign Affairs human rights spokesperson in Austria, Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, on 30 September.
Furthermore, in a statement, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, stated that “for decades, Iran’s regime has denied fundamental freedoms to its people and suppressed the aspirations of successive generations through intimidation, coercion, and violence. The United States stands with Iranian women and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their bravery”. He added that “the United States is making it easier for Iranians to access the Internet, including through facilitating greater access to secure, outside platforms and services. The United States is also holding accountable Iranian officials and entities, such as the Morality Police, that are responsible for employing violence to suppress civil society”.
Wendy Ruth Sherman, United States Deputy Secretary of State, shared President Biden’s statement on her Twitter account and added: “the United States remains deeply concerned about the intensifying violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Iran. We stand with the Iranian people and will continue supporting their right to protest freely”.
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, also announced the US government’s “concern and disgust” over the suppression of protesting Iranian students after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She told the press that university students in Iran are “rightly enraged” by Mahsa Amini’s death and that the recent crackdowns in the Sharif University are the type of events that prompt young people in Iran to leave the country “and seek dignity and opportunity elsewhere.”
More so, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, supported the protests of Iranian women and stated that “Women. Life. Liberty.” [aka Woman, Life, Freedom] Three words that have become a rallying cry for all those standing up for equality, dignity and freedom in Iran”.
By releasing a statement, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation also declared that we are “deeply concerned by the death of Mahsa Amini after she suffered injuries while in police custody. The Iranian regime must respect and ensure the fundamental rights of Iran’s citizens and that those who are under any form of detention are not subject to violence and mistreatment.”
Moreover, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated his concern regarding the bloody crackdown in Mahabad: “Iranian authorities are reportedly escalating violence against protesters, particularly in the city of Mahabad.” “We continue to pursue accountability for those involved, as we support the Iranian people,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
In addition, a Swedish member of the European Parliament lopped off her hair during a speech in the European Union assembly in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations in Iran.
Josep Borrell, The European Union foreign policy chief, also declared that the EU slapped additional sanctions on Iran, targeting 29 individuals and three organizations, in response to what it has condemned as Tehran’s widespread use of force against peaceful protesters. “We stand with the Iranian people and support their right to protest peacefully and voice their demands and views freely,” Josep Borrell stated in a statement.
Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, strongly criticized Iran’s brutal crackdown on protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while expressing support for a new round of European Union sanctions against Tehran.” We want to continue to step up the pressure on the Revolutionary Guards Corps and the political leadership,” Scholz said in a video posted on Twitter on November 12.
Lastly noted, French President Emmanuel Macron characterized the protests in Iran as a “revolution.”