The tragic death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020, has been universally condemned as a grave injustice, irrespective of his background. This incident has sparked global outrage and reignited debates about systemic racism, police brutality, and human rights violations. However, the response of Islamic regime in Iran, particularly its senior clerics such as Ali Khamenei, has drawn notable attention for its performative nature. While they have publicly denounced the United States for its human rights abuses, this condemnation stands in stark contrast to the Islamic regime’s own well-documented record of human rights violations over the past four decades.

 

Since the instalation of the Islamic Regime in Iran by Western powers in 1979, the regime has been perpetrating widespread and systematic human rights abuses, including the execution of political dissidents, the torture of detainees, and the suppression of freedom of expression and assembly. Independent human rights organisations have documented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians as a result of regime’s violence, with methods including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and the use of excessive force against protesters. The regime’s expressions of grief over George Floyd’s death, therefore, appear disingenuous and hypocritical, given its own history of brutality against its citizens. These displays of sympathy lack genuine compassion and seem to serve as a strategic attempt to deflect attention from the regime’s domestic failures and its ongoing repression of dissent.

 

The regime’s rhetoric also appears to be a calculated political manoeuvre aimed at portraying the United States as a primary violator of human rights, while obscuring its own egregious record. This strategy is not new; it has been employed repeatedly to justify the regime’s authoritarian practices and to rally domestic and international support against perceived external enemies. By drawing parallels between the police response to unrest in the United States and its own violent crackdowns on protests, the regime seeks to legitimise its actions and pre-emptively justify future repression. This tactic was evident during the ‘Dey protests’ (December 2017, early 2018) and ‘Bloody November’ (15–19 November 2019), when security forces killed hundreds of unarmed protesters and detained thousands more. The regime’s attempts to equate its actions with those of the United States are not only misleading but also serve to undermine the legitimate grievances of Iranian nation who seek freedom, justice, and accountability.

 

Moreover, the regime’s performative outrage over human rights violations in the United States is further undermined by its historical and ideological contradictions. For instance, some religious figures within the regime have called for the removal of symbols associated with slavery and colonialism in Western countries, such as statues of historical figures linked to racism and oppression. While these calls may be justified in certain contexts, they overlook the fact that Islam, like many other historical systems, has its own complex relationship with slavery. Historical records indicate that slavery was practised in various Islamic societies, and figures such as the Muhammad owned slaves, a fact that is often omitted from contemporary discourse. This selective condemnation of historical injustices highlights the regime’s hypocrisy and its tendency to use moral arguments as a tool for political expediency rather than as a genuine commitment to justice.

 

In light of this, one might argue that Iranians could consider addressing symbols of historical oppression within their own country. For example, the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic regime, and other religious sites associated with the regime could be seen as symbols of a system that has perpetuated authoritarianism and human rights abuses. Removing or recontextualising such symbols could serve as a powerful statement against the regime’s legacy of oppression and its ongoing violations of human rights. This would not only highlight the regime’s hypocrisy but also underscore the aspirations of many Iranians for a government that respects freedom, dignity, and justice.

 

In conclusion, while the death of George Floyd has rightly drawn global condemnation, the Islamic regime’s response must be critically examined in the context of its own human rights violation records. The regime’s performative displays of grief and its attempts to deflect attention from its abuses are part of a broader strategy to maintain power and suppress dissent. By exposing these contradictions and holding the regime accountable for its actions, both Iranians and the international community can work towards a future that upholds the principles of human rights, justice, and equality.

 

Shapour Suren-Pahlav

7th June 2020