Atlanta City Council members Liliana Bakhtiari and Amir Farokhi will gather with others on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. in front of downtown’s CNN Center in a show of solidarity with women in Iran facing government violence for protesting the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of morality police.
The Global Day of Action for Iran in Atlanta this weekend is one of many planned across the country and the world.
“Actions matter. Ideas matter,” Bakhtiari said in a news release. “This is about demanding justice for Mahsa Amini and standing in solidarity with the many brave women of Iran. This systemic persecution of women must end.”
Added Farokhi: “I’m proud to stand in solidarity here at home with the brave women and girls in Iran. Their courage in pursuit of basic liberty and in the face of violence is remarkable. We should all have their backs.”
Bakhtiari, representing District 5, and Farokhi, representing District 2, are children of Iranian immigrants. They sponsored a resolution approved by the City Council on Oct. 3 “condemning the Islamic Republic of Iran for its violent actions against woman, repeated human rights violations against civilians and use of excessive force against protesters.”
The resolution also says, “The Atlanta City Council stands in solidarity with the people of Iran the freedom of dignity, freedom and dignity of women everywhere, and supports local and global efforts. towards advancing human rights for Iranian people.”
Since September, protestors, many of them young women, have filled the streets of Iran following the death of Amini. She was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly and violating the country’s dress rules for women. She was detained in Tehran by the Guidance Patrol, commonly known as Iran’s morality police, and died in police custody, sparking outrage internationally.
Bakhtiari’s father fought in the Iranian Revolution against the Shah and Ayatollah forces, later escaping Iran in 1982. As a child, she grew up surrounded by her family of Iranian immigrants in Gwinnett County.
“We want to shine a light on this repression and proudly support human rights in Iran and across the world,” Bakhtiari said.