‘Very, Very Critical’: German-Iranian Activist Warns as Europe Protests Iran Killings

Thousands of protesters marched across major European cities to condemn reported mass killings during Iran’s recent crackdown on nationwide demonstrations. Rallies were held in London, Paris, Madrid and other capitals, with Iranian expatriates and supporters calling for accountability and international action. German-Iranian activist, writer and journalist Siba Shakib described the situation in Iran as critical, urging European leaders to show democratic resolve through political pressure and sanctions, while warning against repeating past military interventions.
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00:00Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Europe to denounce mass killings in Iran.

00:07A human rights monitor says it has verified the deaths of more than 3,000 people during weeks of demonstrations

00:14and a violent crackdown on dissent inside the Islamic Republic.

00:18Now Iranian expatriates and their supporters are demanding an end to the cleric-run regime.

00:25Security was high at the Iranian embassy in London, where more than 1,000 people, many of them Iranians,

00:36had gathered to show solidarity with protesters in Iran.

00:41The Iranian regime has killed several thousand and arrested many more, according to human rights groups.

00:48But the true scale of the atrocities remains unknown.

00:51Due to the tight restrictions in the communications, this also affects many Iranians abroad,

00:58who are anxious to hear from their loved ones.

01:02We are sad. We are devastated. We are heartbroken.

01:06Because we haven't heard from our family in Iran for like a week now.

01:12We don't know what's going on, if they're alive or not.

01:15But here, we are standing beside them, and we are being their voice.

01:21Thousands march through the streets of Paris.

01:24The deadly crackdown appears to have quelled protests in Iran in recent days.

01:29But rallies were held in solidarity in several European cities on Saturday.

01:33It is up to us here, who enjoy our freedom to mobilize civil society, to put pressure on our leaders to take action.

01:41The Iranian people have a right to be helped and assisted.

01:45And above all, they need sincere allies.

01:47Their allies are obviously a strong voice, which must be that of the European Union,

01:52a voice that defends the law and not the pact of brutes.

01:55In Madrid, marchers chanted slogans calling on Donald Trump to launch an operation against the government in Tehran.

02:04For days, a U.S. attack seemed imminent.

02:07But on Friday, Trump thanked Tehran's leaders for calling off hundreds of executions.

02:13Iran's nationwide protests erupted in late December over economic hardship

02:17and quickly grew into nationwide calls demanding an end of the Iranian regime.

02:21The country's supreme leader has blamed them on foreign enemies, including the U.S. and Israel.

02:29And for more, we're now joined by German-Iranian activist, writer, filmmaker and journalist Siba Chakib.

02:36Siba, with all that's going on in your homeland, thousands killed, injured or imprisoned,

02:42and now protests across Europe, are politicians, European leaders, doing enough?

02:48I'm totally aware of the worldwide situation that politicians in Europe and the world, around the world,

02:59have a lot to think and to do.

03:01But of course, the situation in Iran is very, very, very critical.

03:07People have been, thousands of people, as you said in your report, thousands of people have been killed.

03:15I'm very sorry, I have to put in the cable for my machine here, so many interviews and so many reports.

03:29So it's very difficult, but thousands of people have been killed in only a week,

03:37and tens of thousands have been imprisoned.

03:40It is very important that Europe shows that they are really Democrats, that they really care about what's going on in the world,

03:50and that they do something about Iran, sanctions, close the embassies, throw out the ambassadors and the staff,

04:00block the money of Iranian leaders in Germany, in Europe, in the rest of the world.

04:08What about this? How do you feel about the U.S. taking action against Iran's leadership?

04:15Well, that's a very critical point and a very good question, because we have had very bad experiences

04:22with especially the U.S. and before that, the British government taking military action and occupying Iran,

04:32trying to change the regime in Iran, or at least having influence in the change of regime and government in Iran.

04:40And it never took a good end.

04:43But at this point, we trust that the world is watching, that Europe is using its strengths,

04:51so that if the United States takes action, military action in Iran, after the government is toppled,

05:00and they will leave the government to the Iranians and not try to take it over and see it as their own position or area of influence.

05:11Protests have ebbed, and yet it seems the root causes have not been solved.

05:17Has the regime already won?

05:19That's a 10 million dollar question.

05:26Since 47 years and before that, against the Shah again for many decades,

05:34the Iranian people have tried to achieve democracy.

05:39Democracy is really all we want.

05:42It's a process, that's all I can say.

05:50You don't kick out a government that has so much power,

05:56like the Mullah regime in Iran, in two weeks with no weapons and no military means.

06:04German-Iranian activist, writer, filmmaker, and journalist, Siba Shahid, many thanks to you.

‘Very, Very Critical’: German-Iranian Activist Warns as Europe Protests Iran Killings | APT

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