The Statement by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims in Response to Widespread Protests and the Violent Suppression of Citizens

Protests, strikes, and market closures are the exercise of citizens’ civil and legal rights to express dissatisfaction and demand their fundamental rights. Responding to these protests with violence, the use of suppressive forces and plainclothes agents, mass arrests, and shooting at defenceless people constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental human rights and human dignity. It should be noted that from the first day, protesters explicitly demanded the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, and their cries of protest go beyond the inefficiency and systemic corruption of the government.

The news of the killing of several fellow citizens in these protests has stirred our anger and grief on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752. Human lives should not be the price of mismanagement, structural corruption, and the government’s criminal tendencies. The bitter experience of the families of Flight PS752 has taught us that the cycle of denying truth, rejecting responsibility, and granting impunity to perpetrators always leads to repeated tragedies.

The Association of Families of the Victims of Flight PS752, while expressing solidarity with the protesting people of Iran, calls for:

• The immediate cessation of the violent suppression of widespread protests
• Transparent and independent accountability regarding the killed, injured, and detained
• Immediate release of all those detained in recent protests
• Respect for the right to protest, peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression

We urge the international community, human rights organizations, and governments committed to human rights not to remain silent in the face of systemic violations of Iranian citizens’ rights and to support the legitimate demands of the people of Iran for justice, dignity, and a decent life.

Our pursuit of justice is for the people of Iran.
Remembering those who lost their lives makes our responsibility even greater, and we neither forget nor forgive the killers of Iran’s children.