A Year of Campaigns for Iran · Global Voices
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A photo from Just Access, a campaign by Arseh Sevom to highlight the effect of sanctions on ordinary Iranians.
Iranians witnessed two major political events in 2013: The election of a new president and the beginnings of a nuclear deal. Both of them kindled hope in the hearts of many Iranians for a better, less painful future.
Meanwhile, repression and censorship continues in the country: from the filtering of WeChat to the mass arrest of tech people and poets.
Several internet campaigns launched throughout 2013 with diverse topics ranging from fighting cancer to making fun of the Israeli Prime Minister; from protecting dogs to campaigning for a fictional presidential candidate.
A Common Enemy
Two Iranian cinema stars, one inside the country and one in exile, joined efforts in an online campaign to support compatriots suffering from cancer.
In May, Bahram Radan in Iran joined former co-star, Golshifteh Farahani, now living in exile in Paris, in a video on YouTube as part of a campaign to save the life of Shahrzad, a fellow Iranian suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).
Act Like Man, Dress Like a Woman
Several Kurdish men have photograph themselves dressed as women as part of a Facebook campaign to say, “Being a woman is not an instrument to punish or humiliate anybody.” The photos appeared on a Facebook page named “Kurd Men for Equality”. The story began when a man dressed in a red dress was paraded by security forces through the streets of Marivan in the Kurdistan province of Iran in April as punishment by a local court for a domestic dispute.
#IranJeans: Yes We Do Wear Jeans
In October, Iranians flooded the internet with posts, tweets and photos as they mocked the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamian Netanyahu's remark that Iranians are not free to wear jeans.
Fictional Character for Presidential Election
In May,the activist website United4Iran and the serial web comic Zahra's Paradise launched the virtual campaign “Zahra For President 2013″ to expose Iran's corrupt political system through satire.
Just Access
A combination of international sanctions and mismanagement by the Iranian government are blamed for the current state of medical chaos in Iran.
JUST ACCESS by human rights organisation Arseh Sevom was one campaign launched to restore access to medication, humanitarian goods, and other non-sanctioned items for people living in Iran.
Global Voices recently reported on the medical situation in Iran by interviewing Iranians inside country.
Saving “Best Friends”
A non-governmental shelter for stray dogs, Pardis Animal Shelter, in Tabriz started its work at the end of October along with a virtual publicity campaign. Iran's authorities frown on dog ownership and dogs generally. On their Facebook page the shelter say they wish, “To be the voice and shelter for voiceless and defenseless creatures!”
Pardise animal shelter Facebook page