Iran news and discussion

[caltrek]

Iran’s Nationwide Uprising Is Not “Leaderless”
by Farid Mahoutchi
October 19, 2022

Introduction:

(People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran) More than a month ago, “morality police” in Tehran accosted 22-year-old Mahsa Amini over the arrangement of her mandatory head covering, subjected her to such physical abuse that she fell into a coma and died three days later. Since then, international media have attached ever greater significance to the ensuing protests but have repeatedly fallen into the trap of undermining that perception with descriptions of the protests as “leaderless.”

That label clearly gives the impression that the uprising is also aimless, that there is no precise or unified ambition behind it, and that it is primarily just an expression of general outrage over Ms. Amini’s death at the hands of abusive authorities. In reality, the uprising moved beyond the issues of forced veiling and violent enforcement of religious behavior long ago. Its emphasis today is much broader, and its message conveys very specific demands for systemic change and the ouster of Iran’s existing clerical leadership.

Since the initial round of protests grew out of Ms. Amini’s funeral on September 17, the movement has expanded to encompass at least 190 cities spanning all 31 provinces. It has also seen continuous participation from a wide range of ethnic and religious groups, professions, class backgrounds, and ages. At the start of October, teenagers became a prominent force within the movement, as students in high schools began protesting and chanting “Death to Khamenei,” referring to the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Later in the month, the movement acquired a strong economic component, with oil industry workers staging protests explicitly to express solidarity with the nationwide uprising. At the site of their strikes, the workers were heard repeating the same slogans that have defined the current uprising and several prior nationwide protest movements. Chief among these is “death to the dictator,” “Death to Khamenei,” and “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader (Khamenei).”

Additionally, protesters throughout the country have been heard to publicly embrace a message of self-sacrifice that reflects an accompanying increase in the rate of direct clashes between security forces and civilians.

Read more here: https://english.mojahedin.org/article/i ... aderless/

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The Ayatollahs Cannot Control Their Gen Z
by Neville Teller
October 23, 2022

Introduction:

(Eurasia Reciew) The Washington-based Pew Research Center, founded in 1996, has made its name by investigating the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Part of its early work involved studying the last generational cohort before the millennium. It named them the Millennials, which it defined as anyone born between 1981 and 1996. The subsequent generation – that is, people born between 1997 and 2012 – have become known as Generation Z, or more simply Gen Z.

Further Extract:

Iran’s Zoomers…have is much greater access to information and the outside world than their parents and grandparents. Online social media has given them a platform to voice their concerns, and the courage to speak out.

The old-established Washington-based Middle East Institute recently undertook an analysis of Iran’s Gen Z population. It concluded that this generation tends to question authority, does not believe in the red lines drawn by society or the regime, and is unwilling to take anything for granted, including religion and the country’s laws and regulations. Gen Z’s mass reaction to what they perceived as the state-sponsored killing of one of their own, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, was not their first clash with authority. In 2014 tens of thousands showed up to attend the funeral ceremony for Morteza Pashaei, a famous young pop star. Never before had there been a massive ceremony for a music icon who would be considered a threat to Islamic values. Over the years there have been other mass gatherings of the young that were dispersed by the police and involved arrests and criminal charges.

Conclusion:

The Iranian leadership has sought to blame outside agitators for the protests inside the country, but it is young Iranians – the nation’s Gen Z – who are leading the demonstrations and putting their lives on the line. They are demonstrating to the world that the nation’s youth is coming into its own, that they care nothing for the crazed dreams of world domination cherished by the old men who lead them, and that they seek a way of life in line with what is enjoyed by young people all over the 21st century world. How long can their dreams be quashed? The Iranian regime cannot throttle the hopes of its own people forever.

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/23102022 ... n-z-oped/

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Iran: Cities Witness Escalating Protests Continuing into the Night
by Mahmoud Hakamian
November 2, 2022

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) Iran’s nationwide uprising is marking its 47th day on Tuesday after college students took to the streets in dozens of universities across the country the day before. Students of all ages are relentlessly pursuing their protests against the regime’s escalating crackdown through their official security forces and plainclothes agents. Many reports indicate the regime has dispatched its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) members in plainclothes to quell any anti-regime protests, only to see the Iranian people standing their ground and continuing their rallies.

People in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Arak, and others were protesting well into the night and targeting regime-associated buildings with Molotov cocktails. Those chanting slogans were directly targeting the regime’s senior ranks and calling for regime change in Iran by the people of Iran. All the while, strong criticism is being directed at both the IRGC and the paramilitary Basij Force. “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to Khamenei!” referring to regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and “Death to the oppressor! Be it the Shah or [Khamenei]!” are being heard in more cities throughout Iran.

Protests in Iran have to this day, expanded to at least 213 cities. Over 450 people have been killed, and more than 25,000 are arrested by the regime’s forces, according to sources of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The PMOI/MEK has published the names of 307 killed protesters.

On Tuesday morning, students of two universities in Tehran held rallies protesting the recent heavy crackdown measures imposed by authorities on their campuses, including arresting dozens of college students and banning many from entering their campuses. Students of National and Amir Kabir universities were the first to start today’s anti-regime rallies.

Similar rallies have been held at Tehran’s Alzahra University and other campuses around the capital, Yazd University, the Islamic Azad University of Karaj in Gohardasht, and the Isfahan University of Technology, among others. High school students are also playing their part in today’s anti-regime rallies, including those in the restive cities of Sanandaj, Marivan,and Tehran.

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/02112022 ... ght-oped/

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Deadly Crackdown Continues in Southeastern Province of Iran After Weeks of Unrest
by Saadullah Akhter
November 7, 2022

Introduction:

(Arab News via Eurasia Review) A crackdown on protesters in Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan province continued over the weekend, activists and residents said on Sunday, after security forces fired at demonstrators in Khash city amid deadly unrest.

Protests have widened across the sprawling border province neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan since a Sept. 30 rally in the regional capital, Zahedan, triggered a violent response from security forces.

The bloodshed has spread to other areas and on Friday soldiers fired live ammunition at demonstrators who marched from a key mosque to the governor house building in Khash, 145 km from Zahedan to rally against the Iranian government.

The Baloch Activists Campaign said the protesters were chanting “Death to the dictators” and “Death to Basiji” in reference to a volunteer force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that has been involved in quelling the unrest.

Amnesty International reported that 10 people, including children, were killed, and said it was “gravely concerned about further bloodshed amid internet disruptions and reports of authorities bringing more security forces to Khash from Zahedan.”

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/07112022 ... f-unrest/

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How Iran Threatens South Caucasus Peace and Security
by Robert M Cutler
November 16, 2022

Introduction:

(Geopolitical Monitor) Following Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia in the Second Karabakh War in late 2020, Iran has doubled down on its long-standing diplomatic provocations, economic warfare, and threats of military aggression against Azerbaijan. The qualitative increase in its support for Armenia against Azerbaijan manifests in each of these areas.

Iran’s Triple Offensive against Azerbaijan

On the diplomatic front, in October, Iran opened a consulate in Kapan, the capital of Armenia’s Syunik province, where the Zangezur corridor should be built (and coincidentally only a few miles from the border with Azerbaijan). Armenia committed to construct the Zangezur corridor, between the body of Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan, in the November 2020 trilateral statement with Azerbaijan and Russia, that put an end to the Second Karabakh War. Iran and Armenia pretend that the corridor would be extraterritorial and an infringement on state sovereignty; however, the Lachin corridor inside Azerbaijan, with which it is frequently compared by analogy, is neither of those. Nor does it matter that Russian border guards would provide security, because they provide security for nearly all of Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan as it is.

On the economic front, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been intensifying its military-industrial cooperation with Armenian economic leaders in technological and surveillance fields. Executives of Iranian military companies have been visiting Armenia since the beginning of the year. When an Iranian Export and Investment Centre was established in Yerevan earlier this year, Iranian laser- and communications-system and drone manufacturers were well-represented. The deputy governor of the Syunik region has met with the Chinese ambassador to Yerevan, welcoming Chinese foreign direct investment in the region, not excluding the military-industrial sector.

On the military front, even in late 2020 during the Second Karabakh War, Iranian forces actually entered occupied Azerbaijani territory near the historic Khudafarin bridge. This aided Yerevan’s aggression against Baku by blocking the latter’s road to Zengilan. In September 2021, Iran held extraordinary war games near its border with Azerbaijan. Again, in October of this year, Iran conducted large military exercises on its border with Azerbaijan, including practising crossing the Aras River, which defines a large part of the border between the two states.

Read more here: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/ho ... security/

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Blaming Kurds for Unrest, Iran Threatens Iraq with Offensive
by Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Samya Kullab
November 18, 2022

Introduction:

(AP via Washington Post) BAGHDAD — A senior Iranian military official visiting Baghdad this week threatened Iraq with a ground military operation in the country’s north if the Iraqi army does not fortify the countries’ shared border against Kurdish opposition groups, multiple Iraqi and Kurdish officials said.

Such an offensive, if carried out, would be unprecedented in Iraq, and raise the specter of regional fallout from Iran’s domestic unrest, which Tehran has portrayed as a foreign plot without offering evidence.

The warning was delivered this week to Iraqi and Kurdish officials in Baghdad by Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani, who arrived in the capital Monday on an unannounced two-day visit. The force is an elite unit within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Iran alleges that Kurdish opposition groups long exiled in northern Iraq are inciting anti-government protests in Iran and smuggling weapons into the country. Iranian authorities have not provided evidence of these allegations which Kurdish groups have denied.

It is unclear how serious the Iranian warning is, but it puts Baghdad in a predicament. It is the first time Iranian officials have publicly threatened a ground operation after months of cross-border tensions and asking Iraq to disarm opposition groups active inside its territories.

Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/b ... tory.html

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UN Human Rights Council Launches Probe of Iran's Deadly Protest Repression
by Brett Wilkins
November 24, 2022

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) A United Nations body voted Thursday to create a fact-finding mission to investigate and report on the ongoing deadly repression of protests in Iran, a move welcomed by human rights advocates.

At a special session in Geneva, the United Nations Human Rights Council—which is made up of 47 U.N. member states, including several dictatorships—voted 25-6, with 16 abstentions, to create the investigatory mission to probe documented and alleged abuses by Iranian government forces perpetrated against protesters, with a special focus on women and children.

"It pains me to see what is happening in the country," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said during Thursday's meeting. "The images of children killed, of women beaten in the streets, of people sentenced to death."

"We have seen waves of protests over the past years, calling for justice, equality, dignity, and respect for human rights. They have been met with violence and repression," he continued. "The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end."

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... epression

Landmark UN fact-finding mission marks long-awaited turning point in tackling systematic impunity

(Amnesty International) Responding to today’s announcement that the UN Human Rights Council has passed a landmark resolution to establish a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, especially with respect to women and children, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

“This important and long overdue step shows that the cries of people in Iran for justice have finally been heard. We hope the establishment of this fact-finding mission marks a fundamental shift in the international community’s approach to tackling the crisis of systematic impunity that has long fueled crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations in Iran. The resolution not only enhances international scrutiny of the dire situation in Iran, but also puts in place a process to collect, consolidate and preserve crucial evidence for future prosecutions.

“Amnesty International has been working towards the establishment of an international investigative and accountability mechanism on Iran for years. While the fact-finding mission should have come far sooner, today’s vote sends a clear message to the Iranian authorities that they can no longer commit crimes under international law without fear of consequences.

“States must now ensure that the mandate is made operational and sufficiently resourced without delay and call upon the Iranian authorities to cooperate fully with the mission and allow unhindered access to the country.”

Read more here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news ... -impunity/

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Iranian protesters executed and journalist arrested amid crackdown following protests
Source: CNN

Iran executed two men Saturday, according to state-affiliated Fars News, bringing to four the total number of people executed in relation to the protests that have swept the country since September.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged early Saturday morning, Fars News reported. The pair, who allegedly took part in anti-regime protests last year, were convicted of killing Seyed Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the country’s Basij paramilitary force, in Karaj on November 3, according to the Iran’s judiciary news agency Mizan.

Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer advocating for Karami, posted to Twitter Saturday saying that Karami was not given final rights to speak to his family before his execution. The lawyer added that Karami had begun a dry food hunger strike Wednesday as a form of protest against officials for not allowing Aghasi to represent him.

snip

As many as 41 more protesters have been sentenced to death in Iran, according to statements from both Iranian officials and in Iranian media reviewed by CNN and 1500Tasvir, but the number could be much higher.

More at CNN

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/07/middleea ... index.html

[wjfox]

Iran protests: 15 minutes to defend yourself against the death penalty

1 hour ago

Four young men have been executed in connection with the nationwide protests that erupted in Iran four months ago, while 18 other people have been sentenced to death. Human rights groups have said they were convicted after grossly unfair sham trials.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a 22-year-old karate champion, was hanged on 7 January, just 65 days after his arrest.

Sources have told BBC Persian that he had less than 15 minutes to defend himself in court.

His story shows how authorities in Iran are using show trials to strike fear into the hearts of the protesters, who are demanding freedom and an end to the clerical regime.

The protest movement began after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police in September for allegedly not wearing the mandatory headscarf "properly".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64302726



Mohammad Mehdi Karami told his family he was tortured in detention. Credit: Image source, WANA/Reuters

[wjfox]

Iran dancing couple given 10-year jail sentence

1 hour ago

An Iranian couple in their 20s have been given jail sentences totalling 10 years after posting a video of themselves dancing in the street.

They were reportedly convicted for promoting corruption, prostitution and propaganda.

The video showed them dancing by Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Tower.

Authorities are handing heavy sentences to people seen to be involved in protests after the death of a woman who was detained by morality police.

The couple did not link their dance to the ongoing protests in Iran.

A source has confirmed to BBC Monitoring that the couple's arrest came after they posted the video to their Instagram accounts, which have a combined following of nearly two million.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64470506

[caltrek]

Iran Has History of Persecuting Minorities: Might This Change Now?
by Ramyar Hassani
March 25, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) There have been more than six months of nationwide protests in Iran. Nationwide unity has emerged among seemingly disparate groups: the young and the old, women and men, and even rival ethnic groups. Terrified by this unprecedented wave of activity, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), known in Iran as the Sepah, invaded the streets of many cities, towns, and even some villages in an attempt to clamp down on the unrest. Nevertheless, the atrocities have failed to deliver what the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has wished for: the total crackdown of the protests. The scapegoating of ordinary Iranians for the miseries brought upon by the corruption and mismanagement of Khamenei’s regime has failed to work.

Between September 17, 2022, and January 23, 2023, Iranian security forces killed 525 protesters during the nationwide protests in response to the murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was taken into custody by Iran’s religious morality police in September last year. Sham trials and unjust executions have begun, and, according to the most recent figures, at least 100 of those who have been arrested are in imminent danger of execution. Yet the protests have not stopped.

The new wave of protests poses a serious challenge to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s security apparatus. The distinctive unity that has emerged among Iranians is unparalleled. In fact, Iran is experiencing a unity that has not been seen since the 1979 revolution. Simultaneous protests in more than 200 cities have exhausted security forces.
A Spontaneous Uprising, Not a Minority Movement

This new uprising has not been organized by any party or organization from abroad. It has occurred organically and is led by Iranians who reside in the country. The regime falsely lays the blame on Kurdish “separatists” who receive aid from foreign services and on opposition groups outlawed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Other non-Persian groups often blamed include Arabs and the Baluch.

Scapegoating non-Persians in Iran is not a new strategy.

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/25032023 ... analysis/

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Iranian police to install cameras in public to identify, penalize unveiled women

In a further attempt to rein in increasing numbers of women defying Iran's dress code, authorities are installing cameras in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalize unveiled women, the police announced on Saturday.

If identified, violators will receive "warning text messages as to the consequences," police said in a statement.

The move is aimed at "preventing resistance against the hijab law," said the statement, carried by the judiciary's Mizan news agency and other state media, adding such resistance tarnishes the country's spiritual image and spreads insecurity.

A growing number of Iranian women have been ditching their veils since the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police last September. Mahsa Amini had been detained for allegedly violating the hijab rule. Security forces violently put down the revolt.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-veil ... -1.6805524

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I think they're watching and studying our republicans and have decided that they need to up their sickening game.

[Powers]

I think they're watching and studying our republicans and have decided that they need to up their sickening game.

I think it's the other way.

[weatheriscool]

Iran vows crack down on people who promote removing the veil

People who encourage women to remove the hijab will be prosecuted in criminal courts and will have no right of appeal against any conviction, Iran's deputy attorney general was quoted as saying on Saturday.

His comments come as an increasing number of women have been defying Iran's compulsory dress code, appearing unveiled in malls, restaurants, shops, streets, and other public areas.

Several female celebrities and activists have also in recent months posted photos of themselves on social media without the veil.

Iranian police on Saturday installed cameras in public places to identify and penalise unveiled women, Iranian media reported. Police announced the plan last week.

https://news.yahoo.com/iran-vows-crack- ... 56738.html