Irish Prisoner Speaks Out About PTSD After Release From Iranian Jail

Hengaw Human Rights Organization, a Kurdish rights group, reported on Tuesday that there is still no information available concerning the situation of Mahsa Moguei's father, brother, and mother.

Mahsa Moguei, a taekwondo champion, tragically lost her life during protests advocating for women's rights and freedom in Fooladshahr, Isfahan, on September 22, 2022 when security forces opened fire.

Simultaneously, families are also concerned about the whereabouts of Zahra Saeedianjoo' who was also detained due to her expression of sympathy towards the families of protesters who were killed during the demonstrations.

Despite numerous appeals from Saeedianjoo's family, security and judicial authorities in the southern Khuzestan province have remained silent, failing to provide any updates about her situation to her family or her legal representative. Zahra is the sister of Milad Saeedianjoo, one of the many protesters killed in Izeh.

Sixteen days ago, security forces transferred Saeedianjoo from her residence in Tehran to a secure unit in Ahvaz.

In response to yet another detained prisoner, Afra Moslehi, the daughter of Ali Moslehi, took to Twitter to express her concern about her father. She said: "Where is Ali Moslehi?" This journalist was detained at his home in Kashan by the Islamic Republic's security forces on July 20.

The reasons for the journalist's detention and his current place of captivity have not been disclosed.

Moslehi was previously arrested in July 2012 for publishing materials related to the "Green Movement" and was released on bail in September of the same year.

The Islamic Republic authorities evade responsibility for the continued and unexplained killings of protesters and also regularly pressure on their families by detaining and imprisoning them.

Mansour Haqiqatpour, a former lawmaker, local governor general and a former deputy commander of IRGC Quds Force, told the Khabar Online website that the policy of purification, which has effectively excluded all political groups other than hardliners from the government, has silenced key figures in both leading political factions, reformists, and conservatives.

Haqiqatpour said: "During the fasting month of Ramadan Supreme Ledaer Ali Khamenei called for a competitive, safe and secure election. More than 30 days have passed since he made the statement, but nobody has come up with a strategy to make that happen.”

Rhetorically he asked, "Who should do that? The Guardian Council? The state television? The Expediency Council? the Interior Ministry or the President's Office? The state TV has not discussed the issue even once."

However, it remains uncertain if Khamenei will allow all regime factions and politicians to run in the March 2024 parliamentary elections. The Guardian Council, under his supervision, disqualified most reformist and moderate candidates in the 2020 parliamentary and 2021 presidential elections.

Haqiqatpour continued, "We did not have a good turnout in the parliamentary elections of 2020 and the presidential elections of 2021."

He further expressed concern, saying, "It is a shame that the turnout in elections in Turkey is around 80 percent, and we in Iran have been facing turnout rates as low as 20 to 25 percent." He warned Iranian leaders that a failure to achieve a 60-percent turnout in next year’s elections would be a serious setback.

Politicians and sociologists have been saying since 2020 that a low turnout means that the regime lacks legitimacy and that its social support is in decline, while it claims to be a cradle of democracy in the region and a powerful state backed by its people. 

President Ebrahim Raisi has recently said that it was clear based on polls before the 2021 election that he was going to win. Haqiqatpour pointed out that since major candidates such as former Speaker Ali Larijani were not allowed to run that surely made Raisi the only viable winner.

Asked about his way out of the political impasse, he said: "We should allow political competition,” and added that “unfortunately, rational individuals in both of the leading political factions are left out of political competition. Everyone including the moderates should be represented in the elections. 

Haghighatpoor complained about the monopoly of power given to hardliners. "We should break the isolation created by hardliners. Left and right should cooperate,” and "Protesters should not be called the advocate of regime change. They just wanted their grievances to be heard. 

In another development, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, a member the National Security Committee of the parliament told Rouydad24 website in Tehran that "The country's economic situation is extremely bad." Jahanabadi warned the country's leaders: "The reality is different from what you see on TV. The people in the streets see the prices in the shops and they realize the realities when they put their hand in their pocket to make a payment." 

Meanwhile, another Iranian lawmaker, Mohammad Reza Sabbaghian Bafghi highlighted the difference between the living standards of officials and the people. "Officials enjoy good food and live in good houses, but the people do not have enough money and they cannot afford paying their rent."

He further warned the officials that price rises are beyond what people can tolerate. Bafghi said in parliament on Sunday: "Three out of every four Iranians complain about the rising prices. The high cost of housing is backbreaking and when we go to our constituencies, we are ashamed before those who voted for us. " He added: "The President should be accountable for that."

The hiker, whose identity remains undisclosed, conveyed details of the attack, which targeted tourists, to Faraz news website on Tuesday. He recounted that the attackers were “approximately 18 or 19 years old, wearing cargo pants, and concealing their faces with keffiyehs."

"They targeted both men and women, but the men seemed to bear the brunt of their aggression. Unfortunately, my teammate now faces a life of paralysis due to the impact of the shocker on his back," he said. A shocker – or electroshock weapon is an incapacitating weapon that delivers an electric shock that temporarily disrupts muscle functions. It does not normally cause lasting damage but can cause permanent disability to muscle or nerve tissue.

The attack occurred on Friday when a group of tourists was exploring the picturesque mountainous region of Opert, situated on the border of Semnan and Mazandaran provinces. The assault was orchestrated by an unidentified armed group.

Pictures shared on social media revealed that the attackers were armed with firearms and electric shocker devices. In addition to the paralyzed hiker, multiple individuals sustained injuries and bruises.

During the attack, the group justified the assault, citing it as a response to "hiking on the third night of Muharram," a time when Shiites mourn the martyrdom of their third Imam.

Iran International has been unable to independently verify these details, and so far, no official reactions have been reported regarding this incident.

However, over recent years, there have been numerous reports of restrictions imposed on Iranian tourists and nature enthusiasts.

This recent attack coincides with the regime's ongoing push for obligatory hijab, adding to concerns over personal safety and freedom of expression.

During Hamedi’s second court session on Tuesday, the detained reporter spoke about her dedication to the profession of journalism, stating: "I take immense pride in my role as a journalist and the work I have done." The statement was brought to light by her husband, Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, who posted on Twitter, sharing insights into the court proceedings. He wrote: "The lawyers had a brief window to present their defense as the trial concluded. We now eagerly await the verdict in the coming days."

Hamedi, a former reporter from Shargh, one of the most popular reformist newspapers in Iran, and Elaheh Mohammadi, a fellow journalist from the Ham-Mihan newspaper, gained recognition for their coverage of events following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, after her arrest for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with regime's standards.

The arrest and ensuing death of Amini whilst in the custody of the morality police sparked nationwide protests in September. Hamedi was apprehended shortly after reporting on Mahsa Amini's death and Mohammadi was detained while covering the funeral procession at the Saqqez cemetery in Kordestan province.

The first session of Hamedi’s trial presided by the notorious judge Abolghasem Salavati was held behind closed doors in Tehran on June 1. Saeed Parsaei and Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou -- the spouses of Hamedi and Mohammadi respectively – had already announced the schedule of the second court session for the two journalists, for Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a recent statement, the activists expressed their concerns about what they view as a systematic process of subjecting women to degrading sentences. "The issuance of such demeaning sentences against women appears to be a deliberate and systematic endeavor," the statement from the human rights group declared.

At the heart of the activists' condemnation lies the government's reliance on compulsory hijab, which humiliates women and places them unfavourably in the spotlight. The group suggests that by resorting to tactics of humiliation, rather than opting for traditional imprisonment, the Islamic Republic aims to minimize potential political consequences on the international stage and therefore aims to maintain a favorable international image, despite the suffering of women.

The statement included a comment from an anonymous but courageous Iranian woman: "We are forced to engage in a battle that has been imposed upon us, but as Iranian women, we have shown that we are not afraid of any struggle until we attain our rights," she said.

Furthermore, the group drew attention to specific sentences that are only imposed upon women, such as being subjected to carrying out free janitorial services, washing dead bodies, and enforced visits to psychologists, all of which are perceived as “deeply troubling and unacceptable”.

Despite facing increasing pressures, civil activists opposing compulsory hijab continue their struggle and civil institutions are actively amplifying their voices on the global stage, underlining the unwavering determination of those advocating for gender equality and human rights in Iran.