Harmony Foundation Hails Iran's Freedom Movement

He said that what the world is witnessing is not merely a protest, but the righteous outcry of a nation that has endured decades of authoritarian and radical Islamic repression, economic mismanagement, and systematic violations of human rights.

Dr Mathai, also the former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minorities Commission noted that for over four decades, Iran’s theocratic regime had subjected its citizens to suffocating control over every aspect of life. The brutal enforcement of rigid religious ideological doctrines has stifled individual liberty, crushed dissent, and denied Iranians, particularly women their basic human rights.

“We should also not forget the sacrifice and strength of activists like Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Mother Teresa Memorial Award Laureate (2023), who continues to fight for human rights and women’s freedom from behind prison walls. Despite enduring years of imprisonment, torture, and separation from her family, Mohammadi has never wavered in her commitment to justice and equality.

“Her defiance in the face of brutal repression embodies the spirit of Iran’s freedom movement. The tragedy is that the regime keeps such a principled advocate for human rights locked away, punishing her for demanding basic human dignity, reveals the moral bankruptcy of those who have remained in power in Iran for so many years through radical and suppressive Islamic rule,” Dr. Mathai pointed out.

He said the current crisis lays bare the catastrophic failure of Iran’s rulers to serve their people. Instead of addressing legitimate grievances over economic collapse, runaway inflation, and widespread poverty, the regime has responded with mass arrests of youths, internet blackouts, and deadly violence.

Media reports indicate that thousands have been killed and others detained which is a damning indictment of a government under the authority of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that rules through fear rather than consent.

Dr Mathai said immediate steps should be taken to rein in the Islamic regime of Iran to halt global terror from increasing to dangerous proportions beyond control. Demanding and ensuring the fall of the Islamic fundamentalist regime of Iran driven by extremism will certainly halt international terrorism considerably by decimating terror outfits like Hezbollah of Lebanon and Houthi of Yemen which are funded and supported by Iran.

He also contended that genocide and massacres of such proportions should not be left unpunished and as a matter of fact an international tribunal should be set up to try these Islamic fundamentalist clerics of the regime in Iran like it was with the Nuremberg trials of post war Germany for the Nazi leaders and the Tokyo trials for the Japanese fascists for the atrocities committed during World War II.

Moreover, Dr. Mathai stressed that Iran’s youth are demanding what every generation deserves: opportunity, prosperity, economic progress and the freedom to chart their own future. They seek economic growth, not isolation.

“They demand equality and dignity for women, not mandatory dress codes enforced by morality police. They want to participate fully in the global community, rather than remain hostage to ideological rigidity that has left their nation impoverished and isolated,” he said.

Dr. Mathai asserted that the international community must stand unequivocally with the Iranian people at this critical moment. Governments worldwide should condemn the violence, demand accountability for human rights violations, and support the Iranian people’s aspirations for democracy and freedom.

He also said international organizations should document abuses, provide humanitarian assistance, and maintain pressure on the regime to respect basic rights. Civil society must amplify Iranian voices, preserve evidence of atrocities through digital means, and ensure that the world does not look away.

It is high time for a fundamental change in the country, replacing radical Islamic authoritarian rule with a government that upholds human dignity rather than governing through an iron fist and oppressive religious indoctrination.

The people of Iran are not seeking foreign intervention but are seeking recognition of their universal human rights. They are demonstrating extraordinary courage in the face of brutal repression. The least the world can do is stand with them, speak for them when they are silenced, and support their vision of a free, prosperous, and democratic Iran.

The youth of Iran are writing a new chapter for their nation, and they deserve unwavering support, Dr Mathai said.