Jailed Iranian Rapper Denied Medical Care

From Iran International reports, the members of the minority group, one of the most persecuted in Iran, endured verbal abuse and physical assault during the raids.

Last month, another ten Baha'is, all women, were arrested in Esfahan (Isfahan), while 26 others faced severe sentences totaling 126 years in prison. A disturbing trend has seen at least 32 individuals detained across various cities in the country in the past month.

Homes housing five elderly women aged between 70 and 90 in Hamedan were subjected to raids. One of these women, grappling with Alzheimer's disease, was rushed to the ICU in distress following the assault. In a separate incident, the door of an 82-year-old woman's home was forcibly broken, her belongings upended, and her residence damaged in her absence.

The husbands of two of these women were among the more than 200 Baha'is executed by Iran's government in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Details on charges against the detained Baha'is and their current locations remain elusive.

In September, a statement from the Baha'i community in America revealed the ongoing suppression of Baha'is in Iran. The release disclosed the detention of 60 individuals and the seizure of properties belonging to 59 other Baha'is. Despite unofficial estimates indicating the presence of over 300,000 Baha'i citizens in Iran, the country's constitution officially recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. The Baha'i is the largest non-Muslim religious minority, facing systematic persecution since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Mehrdad Aghafazli, Yalda Aghafazli's father, shared on his Instagram post on Saturday night that after visiting the authorities, security forces explicitly stated, "You have no right to hold any ceremony." When he responded, expressing his intention to organize a private event, they reportedly asserted, "Even that is not your right."

Yalda Aghafazli, a 19-year-old protester, was detained during the October 26 demonstrations in Tehran. She went on a hunger strike to protest the prison conditions and was released without accepting any of her charges. However, a few days later, she died under suspicious circumstances, and her body was buried under strict security measures.

Aghafazli mentioned that security forces, implicitly threatening him, said, "We are watching you." In response, he told them, "I am glad you have been after me for a year. I am no longer afraid. My fear was for my daughter's life and future, which she lost. Now, my only fear is that you come and harm the people attending my daughter's ceremony. I apologize to their mothers and fathers."

The incident is the latest in a string of ceremonies banned by security forces over the years, and harassment and imprisonment of the families of activists dating back to the 1980s. It worsened after the death of Mahsa Amini last year. Additionally, families of slain protesters continue to be harrassed.

On the anniversary of the death of Javad Heydari, who was shot by security forces in the first wave of protests in September last year, agents arrested his brother and several other family members. His sister, Fatemeh, reported that security forces fired tear gas into their house as well as deploying troops to the village to quash any gatherings.

During his sermon, the outspoken Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sunni-majority Sistan-Baluchestan, rejected reports by Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Fars news agency this week about the Makki Jameh Mosque of Zahedan. The mosque has been the center of anti-regime rallies since the Women, Life, Freedom movement started last year.

Citing an unnamed "informed source,” Fars reported Wednesday that officials at the Makki Mosque had imported 80 mining computers with the help of foreign elements and were involved in cryptocurrency mining. Earlier in the week, the IRGC mouthpiece claimed that security forces have seized "two shipments of 22 communication devices and Starlink satellite internet kits sent by the US National Security Agency for Abdolhamid’s office." Fars said five people were also arrested for facilitating the transfer.

Fars said the shipment of these equipment was aimed at "recreating turmoil in Zahedan," "laying the groundwork for secure communication between domestic agents and foreign entities outside Iran," and "facilitating their propaganda and media activities in the virtual space."

The agency did not provide any evidence to support its claims and no security or intelligence agency has repeated or confirmed such allegations.

Addressing the false accusations, Abdolhamid stated that media outlets "close to the government and influential bodies" should reconsider their loyalty to the truth instead of “blatantly engaging in lying and making accusations against critics, opponents, advocates of justice, and proponents of legitimate freedoms.”

"Media outlets like Fars News Agency have resorted to baseless accusations and falsehoods against critics. Such disinformation aims more to sideline critics and disturb public opinion. This is not the solution; the solution lies in listening to people's opinions and criticisms."

Abdolhamid added, "It is in the best interest of the nation that newspapers and media outlets remain free. Media is meant to reflect reality,” criticizing the authorities that summon or threaten the public, media owners, and journalists for even slight criticism.

Since the war broke out in Gaza after Hamas' terror attack on Israel on October 7, Abdolhamid has repeatedly rejected the regime’s calls for the destruction of Israel, saying that neither side should be destroyed.

The Sunni cleric has been a voice of moderation and justice since September 2022, when the death in custody of Mahsa Amini sparked the boldest uprising against the Islamic Republic regime. He is a vocal critic of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his absolute authority. Earlier this year, the hacktivist group Black Reward targeted the data servers of Fars news agency, and released several documents to media indicating that Khamenei is dismayed by Abdolhamid’s fiery remarks and ordered underlings to tarnish his reputation. Iran’s Sunni minority is heavily persecuted, and the cleric has long been an advocate of minority rights, to the ire of the regime, as nearly 15 million Sunnis – mainly Baluch and Kurds -- listen to him.

Human rights media outlet Haalvsh, a website dedicated to human rights and events in Sistan-Baluchestan, has reported the presence of military forces and intense security measures around the Makki Mosque since Friday morning.

Regime agents and blocked the roads and streets leading to the mosque, set up checkpoints, and conducted physical inspections of passersby and people who wanted to attend the Friday prayers.

Like every week for over the past year, the citizens held a peaceful demonstration after they left the mosque. The people of the Sistan-Baluchestan, with Zahedan as provincial capital, have been holding weekly protests after security forces opened fire at peaceful protesters, killing nearly 100 on September 30, 2022, a day known as the Bloody Friday of Zahedan.

Security and Revolutionary Guard’s Basij forces of the education ministry’s office in Behbahan, Khuzestan province, attacked the families of students from Qaleh Seyyed village, who were holding a demonstration outside the provincial office on Wednesday.

During the attack, the forces used electric shock devices on the citizens and detained four individuals.

According to eyewitnesses, security forces threatened to shoot at some of the parents in addition to physically assaulting them, including a pregnant woman who was tasered. The agents also confiscated cellphones of some of the participants who recorded the incident.

According to an estimate by the Fararu website, Iran faces a critical shortage of teachers as 10,000 classrooms remain without instructors. However, according to recent statements by regime officials, there is a shortfall of around 250,000 to 300,000 teachers, affecting roughly 16 million students across all grade levels.

In the province of Tehran alone, the shortage of teachers is estimated to be around 4,000. Sistan and Baluchestan province, classified as one of the most underprivileged areas in terms of education, requires an urgent influx of 15,000 teachers.

Fararu has reported that the concerning statistics have prompted 30 members of parliament to sign a motion seeking the impeachment of Sahraei. However, the motion has yet to proceed to the implementation stage.

Earlier this month, Sahraei claimed that there were no reports of "teacherless classes," and the issue of classes without teachers had been resolved in the first weeks of the academic year.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had required medical attention outside Evin Prison but was barred from heart and lung treatment for refusing to wear the Islamic headscarf.

Her family announced the hunger strike on Monday as the rights activist stood firm in her objection to the compulsory hijab, a symbol at the heart of nationwide protests since last year. By Thursday, after mounting international pressure, prison officials eventually transported her to the hospital.

In a statement on her Instagram account, the 51-year-old announced that her resistance has finally paid off, able to go to the hospital "without a headscarf and in a business suit".

Mohammadi, declared as the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2023, is one of the most prominent advocates for women's rights globally. She has repeatedly voiced her opposition to mandatory hijab and has spent her life in and out of Iranian jails fighting for justice.

The Instagram account of Golrokh Iraee, a political prisoner in Evin, also mentioned that Mohammadi and her fellow protesters, who had initiated a hunger strike in protest against the policy of "either death or mandatory hijab" and the prevention of Mohammadi's hospitalization, have broken their strike after medical attention was provided to Mohammadi.

Iraee emphasized in her post, "Nasrin's refusal to wear the mandatory headscarf is a step towards overthrowing the hijab. The compulsion has led to the humiliation, suppression, and torture of Iranian women for more than four decades and has resulted in the deaths of many, including Mahsa Amini and Armita Geravand.”