The Association’s Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of Bloody November
Five years ago, during these very days, a massive wave of Iranians took to the streets against the Islamic Republic regime. Over a hundred cities in Iran witnessed protests and demonstrations. Thousands of people participated in these protests, and the Islamic regime of Iran met them with the most brutal suppression possible.
The government initially attempted to minimize the flow of information about the protests by cutting off the internet. While the world remained largely unaware of the events unfolding in Iran, thousands were shot in different cities. No official statistics have been released regarding the death toll of the “Bloody November,” with the lowest reported number being at least 1,500 lives lost across Iran, although unofficial figures speak of thousands of casualties.
The victims of the silent massacre of November, like all other victims of the Islamic Republic over the past 46 years, were not mere numbers. They were brave and free-spirited individuals who fell victim to the cruelty of the Islamic regime. Many families were destroyed by this tragedy. Those seeking justice for these atrocities have been repeatedly imprisoned or remain incarcerated today. Torture, interrogations, and imprisonment have been the responses given to families seeking truth and justice. High-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Supreme National Security Council, and commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij forces, were the instigators and executors of these crimes. In the years since, they have not been held accountable and have instead perpetrated even more extensive crimes. Nearly fifty days after the atrocities of November, they shot down Flight PS752, sentenced dozens of people to execution over the following years, and murdered hundreds more during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
We, in the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, stand in solidarity with the families of the Bloody November victims and demand truth and justice for their fallen loved ones. We call for the end of the suffering endured by all grieving families, for the release from imprisonment, torture, and the pressures of security forces, so they may freely pursue the rights of their lost loved ones. We shall never forget nor shall we ever forgive the perpetrators of the Bloody November atrocities.
