LANSING, Mich. — On International Women's Day, a small group of protesters gathered at the Michigan Capitol to draw attention to the plight of women in a country thousands of miles away.
“We as Iranians decided to gather here in Lansing to try to amplify the voices of Iranian women," said Ronak Ziaee, a volunteer with Women Life Freedom.
Ziaee said she and the other attendees at Wednesday’s demonstration watched from afar as Iran devolved into turmoil after the police killing of Masha Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police for an improperly worn hijab.
“They’ve killed about 500 people since September, about 1,800 people were arrested, and we had about 50 kids that were killed during these protests," she said.
Armin Namayandeh, who attended the Michigan protest, said he wants to see western governments like the U.S. to stop doing business with Iran.
“They continue using the money in any negotiations that western countries do and any money they gain, they continue using that money for terrorist activities across the globe," he said.
Namayandeh said it comes down to a simple right of life, choice.
“There’s always this misunderstanding that the movement in Iran is anti-Muslim or anti-hijab, but that’s not the case. As we speak, there are so many religious people in prison because it’s about freedom of choice," he said.
