Iranian-Australian protestors outside the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Canberra said sleepless nights, days of despair, and hours of protesting in the sun will not stop their demonstrations. Neither will the arrests of family members in Iran because of their activism.
The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on 16 September 2022 following her arrest by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.
Protests across Iran have continued against their government, and Iranian-Australians are calling on the Australian government to remove Iranian officials from the embassy in Canberra.
A week after a protestor was “slammed into the ground by a police officer” outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra on 9 February, Canberra Weekly met with the protestors on site.
A video posted to social media showed protestor Hamid Sotounzadeh and a police officer engaging in a confrontation and the officer telling Mr Sotounzadeh to “get back”.
He is then seen to be tackled and restrained by police on the ground.
Friend of Mr Sotounzadeh, Ali Beikzadeh, said he has been left with fractures in his lower back, neck, and ribs, and a subsequent video has been posted from hospital showing him in a neck brace.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) told the AAP a person outside the embassy was detained for a short time after acting in an “aggressive manner towards the AFP members”.
Read the article by Abbey Halter in the CanberraWeekly.