Arseh Sevom Condemns Terrorist Violence

Two terrorist attacks occurred simultaneously in Tehran on Wednesday, the 7 June 2017. The first one occurred near the metro stop for the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini south of Tehran. The second one was at the Iranian parliament. Seventeen were killed and dozens were wounded. This tragedy proved once again that violence and extremism have no borders. Middle Eastern countries are more and more the targets of those acting on extremist beliefs.

The attacks in Tehran are experienced as a huge disaster for the nation. The society suffers deeply, but the leadership calls the incident “not important.” Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, described the attacks as a “cracker game.” Other high-ranking officials in Tehran have also ignored the importance of the attacks. Instead of being supportive, especially in regard to the families of the victims, and encouraging unity, officials have tried their best to just give the impression that attacks were not really serious.

Arseh Sevom strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Tehran and also expresses its disgust with the groups that are trying to achieve political goals through violence and terror. Arseh Sevom reminds the officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran that they are responsible for the lives and security of the people. Our organization believes that the only way to save the Iranian society from further violation and terror is to address basic problems, importantly the systematic discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. The government and leadership in Iran need to empower civil society, support religious/ethnic minorities, and unite the nation.