Dunedin resident and protest organiser Mitra Darestani said the goal of yesterday’s demonstration in the Octagon was to get people’s attention as much as they could and to be the voice of people in Iran.
The regime had started hanging dissidents, saying they were against God, she said.
"Their policy is that 'anyone who is against us should be killed'," Ms Darestani said.
The first protester to be executed was 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari on December 8.
Four days later, 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard was publicly hanged from a crane after being accused of fatally stabbing two militia members.
Iran’s use of the death penalty has attracted international outrage, including criticism of its opaque justice system.
A joint statement released by Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in conjunction with her counterparts in Australia and Canada on December 16 condemned the use of "draconian methods to ruthlessly suppress peaceful protesters" and called for the Iranian regime to respond to the legitimate concerns of its citizens.
Ms Darestani said hundreds of protesters were at risk.
Ms Darestani’s sister was in Teheran, which was one of the epicentres for the protests.
"They’re killing people randomly — even if you’re passing in the street and there’s a protest happening there, they just shoot randomly," she said.
It had been hard to stay in touch with her family in Iran because the internet was being cut.
For the past few days she was worried, as she had been unable to contact her parents through WhatsApp.
"It’s really stressful," Ms Darestani said.
She was very grateful for the support of the Dunedin community, including some who had cooked a Christmas dinner for members of the Iranian diaspora.
She hoped the Iranian embassy in New Zealand would be closed, and the country would do more to support the voices of Iranian women.
