Berlin, July 26 (DPA) Several hundred people demonstrated Saturday in the German cities of Hamburg and Berlin against violence and suppression in Iran.
Posters called for the release of Iranians, arrested following the June 12 presidential election for protesting against alleged fraud that led to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election.
The German demonstrators called for western governments to strengthen their boycott of Iran.
The rallies were part of a global day of action arranged by campaign groups Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the writers’ association PEN.
“In Iran, for six weeks basic rights have been trampled underfoot,” said Monika Lueke of Amnesty International, adding that the international community of states needed to ensure the respect of human rights.
At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, more than 30 former Iranian political prisoners continued a three-day hunger strike, camping out with mats and blankets on a cool, rainy summer day.
The group are demanding the abolishment of the death penalty and the separation of religion and state.
Similar demonstrations took place in Paris, Rome and New York.
At least 20 people were killed in mass protests in Iran in the past weeks. Amnesty estimates that more than 2,000 people have been arrested.
