This Thursday, Iranian New Zealanders and supporters of human rights will gather outside Parliament to demand urgent attention to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Iran—and to challenge the silence and imbalance that has defined much of the coverage in New Zealand to date.

This is beyond an oil crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis – caused by the regime who’s disrupted global trade and taken the people inside Iran hostage.

For more than 60 days, Iran has faced a near-total internet blackout for ordinary citizens, cutting millions off from the outside world. While the population is silenced, access remains available to regime-controlled networks and cyber operations, enabling the continued spread of state propaganda while independent voices are erased.

The consequences have been severe. Millions of Iranians who relied on internet-based work and businesses have lost their livelihoods, compounding an already dire economic and social situation. And when citizens have tried to connect to the internet via other means, e.g. Starlink, they have been heavily repressed. Just recently, a man owning a Starlink device was beaten to death.

According to a report by Tavaana, Hossein Alaaeddin, a 40-year-old father of two, died following severe torture and beatings by Islamic Republic security forces. He had reportedly been arrested on charges of possessing a Starlink satellite internet device.

At the same time, repression has intensified. In just the past two months, at least 21 individuals have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested, many now facing the risk of execution. Since the ceasefire, executions of protestors have reportedly increased as a tool of intimidation, reinforcing a climate of fear across a nation of approximately 90 million people. There is grave concern regarding the regime’s decision to execute more young, innocent protesters in the coming days. Many remain on death row, facing immediate execution for simply demanding their fundamental rights.

Yet, in New Zealand, the dominant narrative has remained focused on oil prices and geopolitical calculations — while the human cost has been pushed to the margins.

Free Iran Alliance NZ states that this gap in coverage has left the voices of millions of Iranians effectively unheard. With citizens inside Iran unable to speak freely due to censorship and blackout conditions, the responsibility to reflect their reality falls even more heavily on media outside the country.

Recent coverage has platformed representatives of the Iranian regime, including its Ambassador, while those suffering under it remain unheard—an imbalance that can no longer be justified.

This rally will amplify the voices of grieving families of those executed and stand in solidarity with individuals imprisoned or at risk of execution. It will also highlight the lived reality of Iranian families who have been cut off from loved ones during this period.

Free Iran Alliance NZ is also calling on the New Zealand Parliament to engage directly with democratic opposition voices by inviting Prince Reza Pahlavi to address Parliament, in line with steps taken by several European countries.

Media are strongly encouraged to attend and cover the event.

Event Details:

Location: NZ Parliament (next to Wellington Cenopath), Wellington

Date: Thursday 7 May 2026

Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm

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