Dear John,
Sign the petition and demand media outlets and cable networks in the United States cover Iran’s feminist revolution!
There are historic protests happening right now in Iran, which globally may well be the first time in history that “women have been both the spark and engine for an attempted counter-revolution.”1 People all across the country—primarily women, queer folks, and young Gen-Z Iranians—are leading protests calling for an end to Iran’s oppressive government–a regime that killed 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Jina Amini, known by her government name Mahsa since Kurdish names cannot be legally registered.2
Dozens of Iranians have already been killed, including teenage girls, and thousands more have been arrested, disappeared, or sent to "re-education centers" as part of the protests. It's an inspirational feminist revolution demanding an end to Iran’s oppressive government that deserves global attention, solidarity, and support.
However, most Americans don't even know it's happening. And this isn't by mistake: Iranian authorities have imposed a media blackout. Tragically, through their lack of coverage, major U.S. media outlets are perpetuating a media blackout of their own.3 Sign the petition to tell American media companies that Americans deserve to know this is happening.
Authorities have blocked Instagram and WhatsApp—and other social media apps that are primarily used to communicate with family and friends internationally—while increasing government surveillance and limiting internet access for citizens in Iran.4 Iranian women are demanding attention and for their voices to be uplifted, or they will face further crackdowns and violence when the world no longer watches.
The U.S. media can play an important role by giving more coverage, airtime, and online prominence to these protesters and to this uprising, which will engage more Americans and help turn more global attention to this historic series of events.
News coverage will lift up Iranian women’s voices and images of the revolution, break the Iranian media blackout, and help lead to greater freedom. Sign the petition and show solidarity with Iranian women.
Sign Now
If you scan newspaper headlines or track what's covered on 24-hour cable news and network evening news shows, you'll find very little coverage of Iran—or if they do have a segment or interview, it often gets the story wrong. A lot of the coverage coming out from the United States focuses overwhelmingly on economic pressures and geopolitics, further erasing the feminist spark at the center of all of these protests. And even worse, these segments all too often turn to Americans instead of voices that are emerging from within Iran.
Despite the regime's best efforts, Iranians inside Iran are still managing to share their stories, protests, and demands for an end to the regime and its repression on social media, and through family and friends.5
We have an opportunity to be in solidarity with the brave women in Iran and bring much-needed visibility and amplification to their stories and wishes for change within their country. Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for all you do,
— MoveOn
Sources:
1. "Iran’s Protests Are the First Counter-Revolution Led by Women." The New Yorker, October 9, 2022. https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/irans-protests-are-the-first-counterrevolution-led-by-women
2. "'No going back'": Gen Z at the forefront of protests in Iran," Axios, October 17, 2022. https://www.axios.com/2022/10/17/iran-protests-gen-z-mahsa-amini-death
3. "Iranians see widespread internet blackout amid mass protests," The Associated Press, September 21, 2022. https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-technology-iran-dubai-arab-emirates-5712b917fc4d19eaa01ab8fbf53e2b8f
4. "As unrest grows, Iran restricts access to Instagram, WhatsApp," Reuters, September 21, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-restricts-access-instagram-netblocks-2022-09-21/
5. "How Iran’s protests transformed into a national uprising," CNN, October 13, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/middleeast/iran-protests-national-uprising-cmd-intl
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG CIVIC ACTION
