Several dozen people marched this evening along Via Garibaldi and Via Manno, handing out flowers with QR codes attached. Scanning them reveals the detailed reason for the initiative: to raise awareness of the ongoing repression in Iran by the Islamic Republic regime, despite the international silence. In recent days, spontaneous popular demonstrations have led to killings, disappearances, and mass arrests. To date, according to independent NGOs, tens of thousands have died and just as many arrested.
Tonight's event in Cagliari, organized by the Tonino Pascali Association – Sardegna Radicale with the Young European Federalists, also saw the participation of numerous Iranians living in the capital and took place in conjunction with other cities around the world on the occasion of the Global Day of Action. "On Valentine's Day, we want to remember the recent victims in Iran and the loves that were interrupted by bullets and prisons," said some of the Iranians present at the Cagliari event. "We demand an end to the repression, the immediate release of political prisoners, free access to the internet, and a complete cut in funding to the regime." Laura Di Napoli, of Sardegna Radicale, noted that in Iran even love is subject to the ayatollahs' control. "You can't kiss in public unless you're married, and speaking openly about queer love exposes you to prison and death." Emanuele Palomba of the Young European Federalists recalled the human cost of repression: "Relationships broken, families destroyed, lives erased because they demanded freedom, dignity, and a future." The marchers then joined a demonstration for Rojava and the Kurdish people, emphasizing the connection between the struggles of Iranians and Kurds.