Iran’s fractured opposition seeks unity
The spread of protests in Iran over the death of Amini marked a new turning point in the Islamic Republic and led dissidents abroad to consider uniting ranks to confront the regime. The move signals a belated awakening, but it may nevertheless overwhelm the government and deepen pressure on it, especially as it coincides with calls for a new constitution.
In a remarkable move, eight opposition figures gathered outside to discuss ways to unify the fractured opposition on Friday amid pro-government events inside the country to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“The Islamic Republic still exists because of our differences and we have to put our differences aside until we come to the ballot box,” Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi said in a video message to a gathering of prominent opposition figures at Georgetown University in Washington.
Iran’s opposition has long been divided into various factions at home and abroad, including monarchists, republicans, leftists, and organizations that bring together ethnic minorities including Kurds, Baluchis, and Arabs.
US-based women’s rights defender Masih Alinejad said, “We must agree on principles based on the Declaration of Human Rights and the Elimination of Discrimination, and [agree on] principles in which every Iranian can see himself embodying the end of oppression.”
She hoped that agreement on the principles of the opposition would be reached by the end of 2023.
When asked why there is only one Kurdish leader among the eight, Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah of Iran, said, “There is no need to wait for an invitation to participate… This is a free bus!”
Pahlavi said the situation should move in a direction in which “Khamenei and his gang” would be forced to hand over power.
Observers believe that this move by the opposition abroad would confuse the Iranian regime, especially as it comes in the context of the departure of the opposition figures from their silence and the call for a fundamental change in the political system, despite the restrictions imposed by the religious regime on its opponents.
The most recent regime change claimant was Mir-Hossein Mousavi, one of Iran’s most prominent opposition figures and a former presidential candidate, who last week called for a new constitution, a referendum and free and fair elections.
In a statement last August, Mousavi caused controversy in Iranian circles after he warned of a “conspiracy” to bequeath the position of leader from Khamenei to his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
Amini’s death sparked an irreversible “revolutionary process” that will ultimately lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic, Ebadi said.
The Iranian authorities have faced protests with repression as they have for the past four decades. “Authorities have also handed down dozens of death sentences for participants in the protests, at least four of which have been carried out by hanging, in what human rights activists say is a move to intimidate people away from the streets.”
Amini’s death triggered years-long pent-up anger among Iranians over problems ranging from economic misery to discrimination against ethnic minorities, as well as severe social and political restrictions imposed by the authorities.
For months, Iranians from all walks of life have called for the downfall of the ruling establishment, shouting slogans against the dismissal word of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei regime.
Authorities’ crackdown on protests has caused diplomatic tension, and talks to revive the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal have stalled. The U.S. and Western nations have imposed sanctions against Iranian authorities and other entities for their participation in repression and human rights abuses.
Iranian state media showed fireworks as part of the state-sponsored celebrations, with people chanting “Death to the dictator!” in clips posted on social media.
A video clip purporting to be from Tehran’s Asafari district showed distant fireworks as protesters could be heard chanting “Death to the Islamic Republic”.
Similar videos on social networking sites carried anti-government slogans echoed by protesters from windows and rooftops who were still inside their homes in several cities.
