Demonstrators take a stand in Montreal for women in Iran and around globe
CBC
Atena Barforoushi wants the world to know what's going on in Iran, and for authorities to act.
"We need the world to hear our voice and especially the international organizations and human rights organizations," she said in Montreal on Wednesday.
"They need to do something and stop this genocide against Iranian girls and people."
She was among a group of demonstrators who gathered in front of McGill University on International Women's Day to denounce the Iranian regime and the atrocities being committed there — particularly the chemical attacks on young girls and women.
Close to 1,000 Iranian schoolgirls have been poisoned by an unknown toxin in a wave of attacks since last November, human rights groups say. No arrests have been made.
The Iranian regime's health minister says students have experienced "mild symptoms." Media reports show the affected students have suffered difficulty breathing, severe coughing, nausea and muscle weakness. Many have been hospitalized.
Activists, including demonstrators in Montreal, have accused the Islamic Republic of taking revenge on the young girls who were at the forefront of anti-regime protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman.
Amini's family has said she was beaten to death last September by the regime's police patrol unit that enforces its Islamic dress codes after she was arrested for wearing her hijab improperly.
At the peak of anti-regime protests, videos posted online showed schoolgirls chanting slogans, waving the mandated hijab in the air defiantly and tearing pictures of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Barforoushi, who is from Iran, said she has heard stories from her own hometown of young girls being poisoned, in need of emergency medical treatment and even dying. She said help isn't being made available, while the regime suppresses voices and information.
"It's International Women's Day and as you might have seen in the news the situation in Iran has been heartbreaking," said Nastaran Razmjoo, a volunteer with the McGill Iranian Student Association.
"We are here today to stand with the women, the brave students, whoever has been participating in this revolution."
Razmjoo said the demonstration is aimed at amplifying their voices, asking for support and calling for an investigation into the attacks.
"We would be happy for the people of Montreal to support us as much as they can," said Razmjoo. "It's a hard time."
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