Since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, the imperial family of Iran in exile has increased its public positions and supported the demonstrations underway in the country. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi participated in a vigil, this Saturday, September 24, in memory of Mahsa Amini, among the Iranians who came to meditate in Washington.
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Iran’s imperial family reeling from Mahsa Amini’s death
The human toll is growing day by day. Since the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranians have been demonstrating against the regime. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman, arrested on September 13 for “inappropriately” wearing the veil, died three days later as a result of her treatment by the police. The death of the young woman came to crystallize months of protests in the streets of Tehran against the totalitarian regime of the ayatollahs.
The death of Mahsa Amini has given courage to women to take part in the protests that have already been going on for months. They are now hundreds to dare to remove their veils in public places, to cut their hair in protest, at the risk of being arrested and violent.
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Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi attends a vigil in Washington
This September 24, a vigil was organized in Washington, in memory of Mahsa Amini. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, 61, son of the last Shah of Iran, who had been living for many years with his family near the American capital, took to the streets to join the Iranians in exile.
The Iranian diaspora is one of the largest in the world. The last crown prince of Iran appeared very moved, holding a candle in his hand, in the middle of the crowd. Around him, men and women waved the old Iranian flag, flanked by the imperial emblems of the lion and the sun.
For the past few days, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, but also his mother, Empress Farah, have been publishing press releases and videos of all kinds on the Internet and on social networks. Princess Noor Pahlavi, eldest daughter of the crown prince (who is also his dynastic heiress), was also seen in a demonstration in Washington. She wore a tank top and ripped jeans, a dress currently banned in Iran. In the Islamic Republic, women must cover their hair and are not allowed to wear short or tight coats or jeans with holes. The country has 85 million inhabitants with a very large Shiite majority.
Also read: Convinced that Iran is on the verge of collapse, the shah’s son asks the West for help
Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has worked for many years as a lobbyist close to American institutions. The Iranian diaspora is extremely large in the United States, a country to which hundreds of thousands of Iranians fled after the 1979 revolution that put an end to the imperial monarchy. Crown Prince Reza has enjoyed a very significant resurgence in popularity in recent years, having become the face of the legacy of the imperial period of which his father was the last emperor.
Last June, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for a coordinated front against the regime. “The priority of the country at this stage is to form a central authority that can organize the demonstrations to pave the way for victory against the Islamic Republic”, said the crown prince, whose remarks were relayed by Iran International. Already in October 2020, Reza Pahlavi called for civil disobedience and presented a new treaty for Iran.
A few days after the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raïsi was sworn in as the new president, in August 2021, Crown Prince Reza announced that he was convinced that the clerical regime which overthrew his father in 1979 was on the verge of collapse. “What the Iranians need now is stronger support from the West “, he assured AFP. Less than half of the population turned out to vote to elect the new president.
Tags: Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi attends emotional vigil memory Mahsa Amini