By Karapatan Rights Group

THE murder of Gen. Qasem Soleimani of Iran, on Iraq soil, does not only contravene international law; it also directly and violently attacks the rights of Iranians whose country has been kept in imperialist war and plunder by the US for the extraction of its natural resources. It has become a prime target of the US war machines for how many years, to secure its control over the Middle East as it intensifies its imperialist plunder and to secure strategic locations for its economic and political domination.

Aside from the shameless act of using unilateral military power, the US has already subjected the Iranian people to abject poverty through interventionist actions and economic sanctions. Such hegemonic tactics have been also faced by other countries standing up for self-determination and sovereignty and against US imperialism, such as Venezuela, Cuba, and the Philippines which, until today, still suffer from US economic, military, and cultural dictates.

Karapatan stands in solidarity with the peoples of the world, especially of the Middle East, particularly of Iran and Iraq, who are fearlessly marching in the war-torn streets to protest for their rights.