Iran's Persecution Of Baha'i Minority Intensifies

The statement criticized the Islamic Republic, stating that it has “legitimized itself through autocracy and relies on coercive forces.”

The students urged their peers across Iranian universities to "refrain from attending classes for one day" as a form of protest. The announcement comes amid increasing pressure on students, with reports of summonings and suspensions related to clothing choices, stemming from last year's nationwide protests following the controversial death of Iranian-Kurd Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.

Students were at the heart of protests and were consequently harshly punished, including bans on education. The death of the 22-year-old, arrested for the inappropriate wearing of her hijab, triggered widespread civil unrest and became a focal point for student-led protests across Iran. Iranian universities have witnessed heightened tensions since last year, particularly as students view the government as a symbol of a patriarchal society that contradicts their pursuit of gender equality.

The refusal to adhere to the mandatory hijab is also seen as a manifestation of discontent with the Islamic Republic and its policies. The wave of student protests draws parallels with the political unrest of the 1960s and 70s, though during that period, the focus was on political issues rather than hijab-related concerns.

Since last September, at least a thousand protesting students have faced suspension or academic bans across various universities in Iran.

The editor of moderate Rouydad24 website in Tehran, Farhad Farzad, attributed the popularity of the video to its "color, rhythm and sex appeal," which is non-existent in Iran's entertainment industry particularly on the state TV.

The LA-based singer, Sassy Mannequin, releases only one music video annually, all of which have become major hits in Iran. Schoolchildren sing and dance to them nationwide, and young Iranians frequently play them in their cars.

One of Iran's homegrown social media platforms, Soroush, which is sponsored by the government to counter the "cultural onslaught" from foreign platforms also offered a link to Sassy's latest music video, Leyla's Brothers. This led to an immediate reaction by censors and clerical judges who issued an order to arrest its managing director Farhad Moradi on December 3. He was released on Monday on bail.

Some comments published under the news about the arrest said the government should shut down the Soroush platform and give its budget to a charity. Another comment under the Rouydad24 report suggested that people should stage a rally and call on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to have the singer arrested. The comment even went as far as to suggest that the Iranian intelligence agencies should send their officers abroad to kill Sassy.

Sassy's latest music video, Leila's Brothers, named after a banned Iranian film, mocks a children's program on Iran's state television and harshly criticizes Iranian officials and their main propaganda machine, the state TV, for their hypocrisy.

Days before it was first aired on Radio Javan, a US-based, MTV-style channel that broadcasts Persian music round the clock, its teasers appeared on the Iranian social media. Some 11 million viewers watched the teaser online in less than 24 hours and more people tuned to their satellite television to watch the actual video clip.

Unlike some foreign-based Iranian singers whose concerts and videos are full of obscenity and rude words, Sassy's video comes with a disclaimer that limits the viewership to people over 18 years of age and that is because of mentions about sex, drugs and women in his music videos who appear in modern outfit and sometimes in swimsuits when the scene takes place at the seaside or around a swimming pool.

One of his older videos, Gentleman, enraged Iranian officials who fired several teachers in Iran when they found out that Iranian students dance to the tune and sing the song together in school gatherings.

Sassy's simple songs often become controversial in Iran only because what viewers see and hear in them are in sharp contrast to the extremely conservative and traditional modes of behavior approved by the fundamentalist Islamic Republic.

Even some of the words that annoy Iran's elderly clerics are in fact commonplace in the Iranian society as millions of teens use them in their everyday conversation. The Iranian Generation Z subculture is so prevalent and at the same time so strange to traditional minds that more than one dictionary of modern Persian slangs have been published in Iran in recent years.

This is the generation that was behind the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests. A generation that has refused to accept the Islamic Republic's propaganda and insists that nothing is sacred.

Díaz-Canel, leading a high-ranking political-economic delegation, arrived in Tehran on Sunday. The visit comes at a critical time for both nations, with Cuba grappling with its most severe economic crisis since the disappearance of Soviet subsidies in the 1990s. The island nation is experiencing shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, while Iran is contending with a record depreciation of its currency and rampant inflation.

The meeting marks the first visit by a Cuban president to Iran since 2001 when Fidel Castro traveled to the Islamic Republic. In June, Raisi visited Havana as the final stop of a tour of "friendly countries" in Latin America, including Venezuela.

Iran, facing isolation in the international arena due to its perceived destabilizing actions, is working to strengthen ties with countries that share anti-Western perspectives.

Iran has strategically cultivated alliances with various Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, for over four decades. Simultaneously, it has sought to influence the region by disseminating its ideology through disinformation campaigns.

Cuba, enduring a long-standing US trade embargo since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, is actively strengthening ties with key allies such as Russia and China, both of which are also facing US sanctions. The Cuban economy has been significantly affected by the US trade embargo.

Pourfaraj revealed that tourists have been avoiding Iran for an extended period, even when offered free visits, leading to the closure of the industry and widespread unemployment among tour operators.

Speaking to Eqtesad Online, Pourfaraj emphasized that “the only visitors to Iran are individuals on pilgrimage,” and the lack of diverse tourism has severely impacted the livelihoods of those in the tour industry.

Iran, historically known for its rich cultural and historical heritage as well as its natural beauty, has struggled to attract foreign tourists in recent years, exacerbated by the high profile detention of foreigners and dual-nationals. Despite its allure, the country faced challenges such as strict dress codes for women and restrictions on alcohol and nightlife, particularly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Optimism for a surge in tourism emerged in 2015 when Iran and major powers reached a landmark nuclear deal. However, the hopes were dashed when then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, triggering a downturn in Iran's tourism prospects.

Last year, the country experienced mass protests and detained several Europeans, prompting Western countries to issue travel advisories warning citizens against visiting Iran, citing the risk of "arbitrary detention."

In August, a tourism industry representative accused the government of providing false statistics on the growth of foreign tourism. Hormatollah Rafi'ee expressed concerns about the country's inability to capitalize on tourism opportunities, revealing that despite officials' claims of growth, the number of incoming tourists has declined in recent years. 

A fresh case has been initiated against him at the Revolutionary Court of Esfahan in the latest arrest just days after he was released from prison.

The 33-year-old artist was apprehended by plainclothes officers on a Babol street in northern Iran last Thursday. The arrest, reported without any judicial order, allegedly involved severe physical abuse, with officers purportedly using the butts of their AK-47 rifles and pistols.

Salehi had spent over a year behind bars, including 252 days in solitary confinement and was released on bail on November 18th. In response to his re-arrest, a trending campaign on Friday garnered over 75,000 mentions of Toomaj Salehi on the X social network, with many posts questioning his whereabouts.

Amir Raisian, Salehi's legal representative, posted on X: "Toomaj finally contacted his family today, stating that he was transferred to Dastgerd Prison yesterday afternoon."

Questions surround the authorization under which Toomaj was held from December 9 to December 12, especially considering the legal restriction on detentions exceeding one year, Raisian said.

Salehi rose to prominence for his protest songs addressing social issues and government injustices in Iran. His initial arrest in October 2022 was part of a broader crackdown on political opponents of the regime following the uprising sparked by the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini.