Emmanuel Macron hailed on Sunday the "fight" of Iranian Mahsa Amini, "murdered as a martyr" for not having worn the veil, announcing the reception of a new promotion of human rights defenders in France as part of the "Marianne initiative".
“Repressions in the four corners of the world are increasing (..) As often the first victims of these oppressions, they are women and young girls”, underlined the Head of State in a video posted on his Twitter account.
“If Mahsa Amini, assassinated as a martyr, has today become a symbol for all of us, she must be more than that and her fight obliges us.
It compels us to responsibility and action,” he added.
Iran has been facing a wave of protests since the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested in Tehran by morality police who accused her of breaking a strict dress code requiring women to wear the veil. women in public.
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France welcomes this year 14 winners of the Marianne initiative, launched in 2022. Coming from all continents (Bahrain, Syria, Mali, Uganda, Russia, Colombia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, etc.), they are committed to the defense of human rights. human, social or environmental protection.
This initiative allows "freedom fighters" to "access a training program giving them "new tools to continue their commitment in their country or in France" for those who wish to seek asylum, said the president.
“We want to help them carry out their projects, to make them stronger, to support them so that these projects can win everywhere,” he said.
A promotion from all over the world
Among the members of the class of 2023, the Iranian journalist Asal Maryam Abasian, 31, committed to the defense of women and LGBTQI + people, fled Iran for Turkey in 2021 after pressure exerted against her.
Russian lawyer Imanova Tamilla, 26, advises people arrested during protests.
Colombian Elicer Arias Arias, 42, denounces enforced disappearances and extrajudicial violence in his country.
Salvadoran Virginia Estefania Roque Aguilar, 25, is committed to the fight against water pollution and for the rights of indigenous peoples.
Ugandan Virani Safina, 23, founded an organization that provides medical, psychological and legal assistance to victims of sexual violence.
They were selected by a committee bringing together human rights defenders, researchers and specialists in the right to asylum.
