Jeweller refuses gold medal in protest at Iran’s treatment of women
ZURICH, Oct 20 (Reuters) – An Iranian girl has turned down the gold medal she gained for jewelry-making at a worldwide vocational competencies contest in protest at the oppression of girls at dwelling, a human rights activist reported on Thursday and lifted fears about her basic safety.
The protest in Geneva follows unrest ignited by the loss of life previous thirty day period of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality law enforcement. The incident has sparked one of the boldest troubles to the Islamic Republic because the 1979 revolution.
Taimoor Aliassi, consultant to the United Nations of the Kurdistan Human Rights Affiliation-Geneva (KMMK-G) human legal rights group, said the protest by Raziyeh Jalili happened on Monday at the WorldSkills contest as she was getting awarded her medal.
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He said she designed a assertion in broken English about what she stated was repression of women of all ages in Iran and remaining her gold medal on the podium. She was then escorted by her delegation back again to her resort, he reported.
Aliassi referred to as Geneva police to warn them to the likely danger she could deal with on return to Iran, confirming an account of the incident he experienced before presented to Swiss Television set.
Tv set cited Geneva prosecutors as expressing police experienced questioned the girl to make absolutely sure she could shift freely and that she had verified this and expressed her desire to be a part of the Iranian delegation.
Tv quoted organisers as stating they experienced granted the woman’s request to say a few terms, pondering she required to categorical her many thanks. Organisers determined not to clearly show video clip of her protest due to the fact they thought it “safer” not to communicate her remarks.
Aliassi reported she experienced because returned to Iran and explained he experienced requested colleagues in Iran to verify up on her but was in the dark about her position. “I am definitely fearful about her fate now,” he said.
The Iranian overseas ministry was not right away accessible for remark. Reuters has sought remark from organisers of the WorldSkills occasion.
Iran has accused nations who have expressed aid for the protests of meddling in its internal affairs. Iran’s spiritual leaders have experimented with to portray the unrest as element of a breakaway rebellion by the Kurdish minority threatening the nation’s unity, rather than a protest in opposition to clerical rule.
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Reporting by Michael Shields in Zurich More reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai Enhancing by Alison Williams
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