‘I don’t want their voices to be silenced’: Local Iranian Canadians call for action back home as death toll rises

Iranian Canadians living in London express concern for their loved ones back home amid talks of potential U.S. military intervention. Lauren Stallone reports.

Four days - that’s how long activist Besat Zardosht and many other Iranian Canadians have gone without speaking to loved ones back home.

“It’s been very hard,” said Zardosht.

Londoner Ehsan Tousi says he hasn’t been able to get hold of his father, who is currently in Tehran.

“It’s been terrible obviously,” said Tousi. “With the news that they were actually shooting buildings and people standing and watching, they can be your family members.”

“The regime has shut down all of the communications throughout the whole country,” added Zardosht.

She says this comes amid ongoing large-scale anti-government protests in Iran that have left hundreds of people dead.

“It is very important for us at this point to be the voice and make sure the world can hear them and see them so the regime cannot continue to massacre in silence,” said Zardosht.

Zardosht says the past few days have been difficult, but she refuses to be silent.

“I know that I have to stand for my people and be their voice because they don’t have anybody else,” said Zardosht. “I don’t want their voices to be silenced so I have to be strong.”

She is calling on the United States to step in.

“We are asking for the implementation of our troops to protect and safeguard Iran,” she said. “We are calling on President Trump to please help Iran and help finish this brutality that the regime has been doing.”

While U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene, it is unclear what that looks like or if it will happen.