Weekly “Iranian freedom” demonstrations have taken place every Sunday since June 7 in downtown Belleuve.

The rallies have drawn between 100 and 400 participants, including local politicians. State Attorney General Rob McKenna, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Bellevue City Councilmember Conrad Lee, and King County Councilmember Jane Hague have all spoken at the events.

Many of the demonstrators have signed petitions urging the U.S. government and the United Nations not to recognize the current Iranian regime and to demand that human rights be observed in the country.

Rally organizer Hossein Khorram, an Iranian American living in Bellevue, says the demonstrations will continue as long as people continue to show up for them.

“We’re going to keep going until the voices of the Iranians are heard all over the world,” he said. “They’re not getting the help they need.”

Khorram insists that the U.S. and its allies should take a stronger stance against the current regime in light of its violent crackdown on protestors who challenged recent election results.

“The West is not being as it should be because of oil being such a precious commodity,” he said.

Khorram also said that military intervention is not necessary to bring about the change he is looking for in Iran.

“When we say ‘help,’ that doesn’t mean send in troops,” he told The Reporter.

Khorram estimates that around 17,000 Iranian Americans live on the Eastside.

“There’s a big population of us here, and we’re concerned with the human-rights violations, killing, torture, and election fraud in Iran,” he said. “People should succeed over tyrannical leaders.”

Khorram also said Bellevue is an appropriate place for the Iranian-freedom rallies because of the concentration of immigrants living there.

“Bellevue has gained a standing in the world as a beacon of democracy,” he said. “The diversity is unbelievable here.”