Amnesty and the anniversary of the Arab revolutions in Trafalgar Square

Rouhi Shafii
In the cold weather of London hundreds; men women and children, Arab, English, Iranian and many other nationalilities, political activists and anti-war campaigners gathered in a show of solidarity with the Arab people who had so bravely& courageously risen against dictatorships and corruption in their countries and overthrew the rulers who had deprived the people of a decent life.
Kate Allen , Director of Amnesty UK spoke of the bravery of the people against the brutalities of the regimes and urged the international community to support the people in their struggles and for human rights.
There were many speakers from Libyia, Palestine, Eygpt, Syria who spoke of their struggles against dictatorships and a wish to be free to choose their way of life. There was a strong presence in support of the Syrian people who at present are under constant attack by the Syrian regime and who have sacrificed so many lives for freedom from dictatorship.
I attended the rally on behalf of Amnesty Women Action Network (WAN) and also International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI). After all, today was the anniversary of the Iranian revolution and as an Iranian I needed to express my solidarity with the Arab people and warn them of the consequences when a revolution changes direction as did in Iran.
Here, you will ICAVI statement in that respect:

On the anniversary of the Iranian revolution
Against the war and violence, for freedom and democracy in Iran & the region
Twelfth of February marks 33 years since the Iranians ended 2,500 dynasty rule in Iran in order to establish a republic based on democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Their aspirations never materialised. Ever since, those who took to power had excluded a large proportion of population from political participation and denied Iranians social freedoms and democracy.
At present and after more than 3 decades, Iran is a country plagued with international isolation, widespread corruption, economic decline, poverty, violence, suppression of every voice of dissent and above all, sitting at the tip of the catastrophe of yet another war, which is encouraged and promoted by the present factions inside the ruling elite in Iran who had ruled the country through chaos since inception.
On the anniversary of the 33 years since the revolution, International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI) believes that Iranians are against war. Wars never bring peace, prosperity and stability. Wars bring destruction, increase violence and chaos and have dire consequences for the country, the Iranian people and beyond.
ICAVI condemns the continuing violence raging and raving in Syria at present and hopes that the brave Syrian people along with their Yemeni and Bahraini brothers and sisters find their way out of the killing fields.
ICAVI hopes that the peoples of Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and elsewhere in the region ultimately gain the right to rule their destiny in peace and in freedom; and lessons learnt from the Iranian situation, safeguard their gains and take their destiny into their own hands.
International Coalition Against Violence in Iran (ICAVI)
11 February 2012
Email: icavi@icavi.org
www.icavi.org