A year has passed since the death of a girl whose name became a symbol of Iranian solidarity in the revolutionary uprising of the Iranian people. The girl whose death became the source of the hidden hatred of millions of Iranians, from years of cultural and social humiliation, economic pressure, institutionalized corruption, organized and supported by the government, irresponsibility, bad governance and mismanagement by the officials and decision makers of the political system. Further compelled by the squandering of the country’s resources on domestic and international levels, , the widespread suppression of political and civil liberties and the trampling of the most basic human rights of the citizens, the “woman, life, freedom” movement has opened the door to a process of transitioning beyond the Islamic Republic.
This movement has emerged as an extension of protests and extensive efforts of the Iranian people since the mid-1990s to bring about change in the leadership of the country, in different approaches of civil and political movements. However this time, the spectrum is very wide, so that larger segments of society have come to the conclusion that partial changes are not effective and are demanding fundamental changes in the governance structures.
The government, intolerant and utilizing the most violent and brutal methods, started suppressing this civic movement, which resulted in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and the imprisonment of thousands of people, and even endangering the daily livelihood of thousands of people and civil, political, cultural activists, as well as artists, sportspeople and the business community. A repression that still continues. Notwithstanding, and despite government’s efforts to declare the “woman, life, freedom” movement as a failure in order to induce disillusionment among the people, this movement is still alive and has generated an unprecedented level of maturity in the society in Iran’s contemporary history. The greatest achievement of this movement was the materialization of civil resistance against the state’s military and security apparatus. Brave Iranian women challenged one of the biggest pillars of Islamic Republic’s identity and stood up to it. When the government thought it had controlled the protests, it realized how far it was pushed back and how incapable it was to return to its previous position. This is not just an ordinary shift of boundaries between state and society. It is a great strategic lesson for civil society on how it is possible to push back the state. Something that Iran’s protest movements had not reached in the last 40 years. The myth of the invincibility of the mafia rule was broken and this is the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic.
Non-violent civil resistance, though still being shaped, has become the common approach of many civil, political and economic activists and is the dominant method of the movement to achieve the general desire of the Iranian people to have a democratic and prosperous country in which everyone will enjoy its benefits.
The “woman, life, freedom” movement was so deep and pervasive that it forced all political and civil society forces to react. The consolidation of dialogue between different actors – in spite of deep disagreements – and even coalitions and ruptures, expressing themselves, communicating issues and presenting analyzes, turned out to be a valuable practical exercise for all actors that demanded a serious change in the governance structures in Iran. Despite shortcomings on this path, the effort to open the door to dialogue, the effort to transition from the previous methods of protest and paying attention to the general will of the society, were important achievements in this process. Prosperity for Iran honors all the victims of the government’s limitless crackdown, and acknowledges the strategic achievements of this movement on its first anniversary.
We consider it our responsibility to play our role along the Iranian people based on our two principles of rationality and morality, encouraging non-violent civil resistance as the approach to a transition from the Islamic Republic towards a desired structure, procedures and leadership that will be endorsed by the Iranian people. On this path, we welcome synergic dialogue with all civil and political forces.
Prosperity for Iran will continue to cooperate and coordinate with all Iranians for the transition to a democratic government.
