Mass protests testify to Iranians' aspiration for freedom, dignity, better future – MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) condemned the repression of the Iranian authorities against the people and called on it to abandon forceful methods, and the international community to strengthen political, diplomatic and other types of pressure on Iran.
"Ukraine is closely monitoring the development of events in Iran and mass protests, which testify to the aspiration of the Iranian people for freedom, dignity and a better future," the MFA said in a statement published on the website on Tuesday.
The department said regimes that ignore the needs and suffering of their citizens "inevitably bear political, legal and moral responsibility for their actions."
"We strongly condemn the repression of the Iranian authorities against their own people, the unprecedented increase in the number of dead and injured among the participants of the protests. This is a gross violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms. The use of violence and brutal methods of suppressing protests undermine the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law. We call on the Iranian authorities to abandon forceful methods, respect the right of citizens to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of speech, and fulfill the legitimate demands of their own people," the MFA said.
The Foreign Ministry said violence against defenseless protesters must be stopped immediately.
"We reiterate our call on the international community to increase political, diplomatic and other types of pressure on Tehran in response to violence and oppression," the statement reads.
The Iranian security forces' crackdown on nationwide protests has reportedly killed at least 538 people, with many more presumed dead, and over 10,000 detained in the past two weeks. Of the dead, 490 were protesters and 48 were security forces. Internet and telephone restrictions have made it difficult to assess the scale of the protests from abroad, and the Iranian government does not provide official figures on casualties.
The editorial board of Iran International later reported that at least 12,000 people were killed in the crackdown on protests over two consecutive nights, Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9. According to information received, those killed were mostly shot by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces. This killing was completely organized, and not the result of "sporadic" and "unplanned" clashes.
On January 10, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on the Iranian authorities to refrain from violence against protesters in his country. In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom also condemned the killings of demonstrators in Iran and called on the country's authorities to exercise restraint. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed full support for the protesters in Iran and condemned their suppression by the Iranian authorities, and U.S. President Donald Trump declared his readiness to help Iran in its quest for freedom. On January 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said that the "long night" for the Iranians would soon end, and help was on the way. On January 12, Trump announced that he was suspending diplomatic relations with Tehran amid the suppression of anti-government protests, calling on protesters to continue the struggle and seize government institutions. He also announced the introduction of tariffs of 25% on countries cooperating with Tehran.
