Iranian revolution 31 years on

On February 1979, Iran's political system of governance changed hands. The long-standing 2,500 years monarchy was overthrown by the people and replaced by a republic which dominated by religous sentiments and a religous leader who dragged the term 'Islamic' along with him. For the past 105 years, since the onset of the constitutional revolution, Iranians have aspired independence, freedom and democracy. The end of monarchy which was against the spirit of freedom and democracy in its essence promised a new beginning where people would be given rights to choose their own way of life, their elected government and those who would represent them in the parliament, a fair and just judicialn system and the rule of law. Men and women free and equal, ethnic and religous minorities would have their rights preserved.

Iranians who made the 1979 revolution which was also the last revolution in the world had in mind to get together and assemble all the skills they had gained for almost 7 decades and create a political asystem which would have all the elements mentioned above and the reason behind the revolution.

Alas! Right from the beginning it was made obvious that their calculations were wrong not their aspirations and dreams. Those who took to power under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini had no intention to grant people freedom, democracy and equality. The beginning of the islamic regime brought with it the end of those dreams for which people were prepared to die for and died for. Khomeini's first decree targetted women and ordered them to become Islamic by wearing a specific dress code which represented a specific brand of islam which knew no tolerence. Women protested, marched, demonstrated and disobeyed but were defeated at long last. Then came another decree and another and another for thirty one long years during which thousands were imprisoned, detained, murdered and millions emigrated to other countries, taking with them bundles of memories from home which was home no more. In all, over half a milliond were killed either in the futile war with Iran's neibouring country Iraq or murdered in prisons. And about three million left the country.

Finally, on the first decade of the twenty first century people; women, men, students, civil rights activists demonstrated their will power to oust the perpetrators of their miseries and choose from among the more moderate factions politicians who would lead them to the lost road they aimed to walk some three decades earlier.

Alas! That move as the world is obsering was blocked by a gang of greedy, vicious people who have no mercy to anyone and will commit any autrocity in order to stay in power. They  have detained, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured, raped and ultimately murdered the best children of Iran in order to stay in power a few more days. 

This week is the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian revolution. Next week the United nations Hunman Right Commission is about to give its verdict on the situation of human rights in Iran. Non seem to show light at the end of the tunnel. The only hope that remains is the determination of the Iranians themselves to stay together and force the existing regime out of power. This will be done with a high price. At the moment it is estimated that thousands of Iranians are in various prisons under constant torture and threat. The number of imprisoned journalists, human rights activists, women's rights activists, students and civil rights activists is unknown but every iranian family has got somebody in prison. The stake are high for those captured by the regime because they not only detain one member, they keep prisoner other members of their families by threatening them in various ways.

Iranians outside the country are constantly urging governments, the United Nations and human rights organisations to put pressure on Iran to tolerate opposition and to stop detention and execution of innocent people on imaginary charges. The Iranian regime on the other hand is run by a gang of vicious, aggressive and deceitful liers and the only way to deal with such combination of human vice is for the Iranians to show their determination along with the dignity they have shown so far and to dismantle the aparatus of this regime one by one, slowly and with patience in time but before it is too late. Let it be our promise to those who perished in the past and those who are in danger at this moment in the prisons of the Islamic republic of Iran. Let it be our promise that we Iranians will soon dismantle the bolts and bobs of a regime which has even deceited the religion itself.

Let's believe Jaleh Esfahani, the Iranian poet who said: 'Every victory was a wish at birth'.