A group of Iran’s leading exiled opposition figures has said in a message that 2023 will be the year of “victory” for the Iranian nation.
According to the French news agency AFP, the people who sent the message include people from the fields of culture, human rights, and sports.
For a long time, there has been a lack of unity among Iranian citizens living abroad and a division into different political factions regarding the Islamic Republic.
The rulers in Iran deposed the Shah of Iran in 1979.
Protests are still taking place after the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mehsa Amini.
The message from Iranian citizens living abroad appears to be an attempt to achieve long-needed unity.
According to the message, ‘2022 was a wonderful year of unity for every faith and language. With planning and unity, 2023 will be a year of victory. This will be the year of freedom and justice in Iran.
This message was shared on social media by various personalities including Masih Alinejad, the American-based defector, Iranian human rights activist, and the son of deposed Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Famous actresses Gulshifta Farahani, Nazanin Basadi and Zar Aamir Ibrahimi also shared this message on social media.
Gulshifta Farhani wrote on Instagram that we are united to get freedom. We will stand together and not be silent. Protests erupted in Iran after Mahsa Amini’s death in custody. Mehsa Amini was arrested for not wearing a hijab properly. The ongoing protests in Iran are a major challenge for the government. Human rights organization Iran Human Rights said at least 476 people were killed in the crackdown on the protests. According to Iran Human Rights, two protesters who took part in the protest have been hanged, while at least 100 people who are in custody are feared to be hanged.