Vigils in Geneva and other Swiss cities

As the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council began in Geneva, freedom-loving Iranians organized a vigil to protest the participation of the Mullah regime’s foreign minister at the United Nations Human Rights Forum. They demanded that the Mullah regime be held accountable for four decades of crimes against humanity and genocide.

Prominent figures, including Prof. Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, a jurist and author specializing in human rights and international law, as well as Paolo Girardi, president of the Geneva Trade Unions, and other distinguished personalities, were among the speakers at the vigil.

Key Statements from the Speakers:

• Paolo Girardi declared: “We are witnessing major public protests and strikes in Iran. Workers, nurses, teachers, and other professional groups are protesting against this regime. These protests are driven by the fact that 80% of the Iranian population lives in absolute poverty. We stand in full solidarity with the Iranian people in their uprising against this dictatorship, which has persisted for many years despite widespread repression and increasing executions.”
• Prof. Alfred de Zayas emphasized: “The 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council has begun, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is outlining his plan for the future. A program dedicated to promoting human rights, utilizing all known mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court, to hold those responsible accountable.”
• Saeed, an Iranian human rights activist, added: “We have come here to support the women who bravely stood at the forefront of the 2022 public protests. And we have gathered to show our solidarity with the heroines Maryam Akbari, Forough Taghipour, and Zahra Safaei, who are standing up to the torturers in prisons across Iran. We tell them that we will be their voice day after day.”