Other rallies in support of the protesters were also held in Berlin and Tokyo on Saturday. (file)
Washington:
Thousands of people, including many of Iranian descent, marched in Washington on Saturday to show support for nationwide protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini last month.
They chanted slogans like “Women, Life, Freedom” and “Justice for Iran” as they walked from the National Mall – the vast green expanse that is home to the Washington Monument – to the White House.
Siamak Aram, one of the organisers, said attendance would surpass 10,000 by the end of the procession and that it was the fifth such rally in Washington in solidarity with the women-led protest in Iran that is now in its sixth week.
“I believe it is the biggest,” Aram told AFP.
Some of the protesters came from other cities, such as a 28-year-old Boston woman who only gave her name as Mahsheed and wore a T-shirt that read “Help Free Iran.”
“We don’t want this tyrannical regime anymore, which is restricting us from our simple human rights and our freedoms,” said Mahshid, who left Iran three years ago to complete a master’s degree in architecture in the United States. Like others at the rally, she declined to give her last name for fear of relatives living in Iran.
A young woman held a sign with a strand of hair attached to it and read: “Our hair may annoy you but our mind will kill you.”
Mahsa Amini died in police custody last month after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. His death has fueled the largest protests the Islamic republic has seen in years.
Other rallies in support of protesters in Iran were also held in Berlin and Tokyo on Saturday.
In Washington, a 55-year-old woman named Marjan said she was happy that the rally included people living in Iran and others.
“You see different ages, different religions, different beliefs,” Marjan said.
Her childhood friend Negar had come from Britain, where she said that she too had attended such rallies.
“This is really a wonderful revolution led by women, and they are the most oppressed people in Iran,” said 53-year-old Negar.
Regarding Saturday’s march in Washington, she said: “The least we can do is here.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)