On Tuesday, August 4, the evening before the inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, three Iranian women spoke strongly and pleadingly in the basement of a church in Seattle.
Twenty other members of Amnesty International huddled around a long coffee table and listened to the impassioned words. A picture was painted of a country torn to pieces, stripped of its freedom, and beaten into submission. And in that picture, help was nowhere to be found.
Today, as Ahmadinejad enters his second and unmerited term as president of Iran, the United States stands by in observation rather than protest. Despite the obvious violation of the rights of almost forty million Iranian voters, the international community at large seems to be in a state of general acceptance that Ahmadinejad will indeed reign once again. Even President Obama has stated that he is willing to negotiate with the Iranian leader and has yet to follow the example of some European countries by refusing to recognize Ahmadinejad as Iran’s legitimate presidential leader.
When I cast my ballot for Barack Obama in the fall at 18 years old, I felt confident that I was voting for a man who cared, above all else, about the basic human rights of all people. I looked forward to an administration that would hold morality and justice above financial negotiation and power politics. Now, eight months in to his term, President Obama needs to prove himself as the man he claims to be; and the people of the United States need to hold him accountable for doing so.
In response to the inauguration, several groups held rallies on Wednesday, August 5. People adorned themselves in green and proudly waved the Iranian flag, crying out for the freedom of our brothers and sisters — those who turned out to the polls in record numbers, those who were denied their voice. On this evening, amidst these rallies, we can be confident that we will not be beaten with batons or stolen from our homes or even told to end our protest. We can be confident of our freedom. But we must not simply rest easy in the knowledge of our own privilege. We must demand a voice for those who have been silenced in a place where life is not such a guarantee.
Even if we have your sympathies, we need your actions. It is time to call our senators and demand that the United States be a leader in the fight for international human rights. Ms. Cantwell? Ms. Murray? The time is now.
Dana Hubanks
19-year-old college student
North Bend
