The protests over soaring inflation are now calling for an end to the clerical rule of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The DA has called on International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola to report Iran to the United Nations Human Rights Council over the deaths of nearly 3 000 people since a massive crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The protests, which began last week over soaring inflation, are now calling for an end to the clerical rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
‘Regaining control’
Khamenei on Friday insisted the Islamic Republic would “not back down” in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two-week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living.
Iranian authorities insisted they have regained control after the nationwide protests that have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousted the Shah.
Human rights abuses
In a letter to Lamola, DA MP and international relations spokesperson Ryan Smith said that Iran should be reported for flagrant human rights abuses in its attempts to suppress the current uprising.
“The use of such blatantly deadly oppression against civilians by a sitting government is one of the most egregious forms of human rights abuse witnessed anywhere in the world, and brings into sharp question South Africa’s relationship with such a barbaric actor on the international stage.”
Iran is a recent addition to the BRICS+ group of nations.
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Iranian warships
The presence of three Iranian warships off False Bay in Cape Town for military exercises has also drawn international attention to South African allies, with warnings that it carries political costs.
Speaking to The Citizen, Helmoed-Römer Heitman said the inclusion of Iran risked damaging relations with key trading partners in Europe and the United States (US).
Struggle for freedom
Smith said the Iranian uprisings “echo South Africa’s own struggle for freedom,” including the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960 and the Soweto uprising of 16 June 1976, when peaceful civilian protest was met with brutal state violence.
“South Africa’s role is especially crucial in this regard, given Iran’s recent accession to BRICS+, and your party, the ANC’s own very public and unapologetic proximity to Iran, which has found worrying expression in South African foreign policy despite being wholly incompatible with the values for which our republic stands.
“As a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU) we will not tolerate South Africa’s proximity to brutal authoritarian regimes, and we certainly will not tolerate South Africa’s silence in the wake of their violent assault on innocent civilians. No South African citizen, yourself included, can sit idle while Iranian authorities massacre their people to assert violent state control,” Smith said.
DA has ‘duty’
Smith said given the constitutional democracy that South Africa enjoys today as a result of sacrifices made by citizens who gave their lives for freedom, democracy, and human rights, the DA has a duty to ensure that “our country uses its voice in all international fora to speak out against any “regime that seeks to stifle freedom at the violent expense of human life.”
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