Iran hanged two men on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the Basij paramilitary unit. They may or may not be guilty. We don’t know for sure because the two men did not stand trial in any courtroom that a rational or reasonable person would recognize as a “crucible of justice.”
#Iran executed two more men in connection with the protests there today, bringing the total to 4. @Amnesty says the convictions of #MohammadMehdiKarami and #SeyedMohammadHosseini relied on false confessions, (a typical part of the regime’s playbook). pic.twitter.com/zzSt4Tilcb
— Roxana Saberi (@roxanasaberi) January 7, 2023
In the city of Zahedan, a hotbed of anti-regime protest, thousands took part in a mass protest after Friday prayers. The protests have been backed by the local Sunni Muslim cleric, Mowlavi Abdolhamid, and is one of the few places in Iran where masses of people can demonstrate without fearing the police and paramilitary units opening fire on them.
This past Thursday night, a large number of soldiers and plainclothes police were stationed at schools hoping to prevent students from joining the protests.
It didn’t work.
the protests in iran rage on…
the scene in zahedan:pic.twitter.com/zjnOMXVIMh— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 6, 2023
Critical Threats:
Protesters participated in anti-regime demonstrations in Zahedan after prominent Sunni Cleric Moulana Abdol Hamid continued to criticize the regime in his weekly Friday prayer sermon. Abdol Hamid condemned Iranian leadership for extracting forced confessions from protesters and suggested that some Iranian officials were unlawfully behaving as though they possessed supreme religious authority. Abdol Hamid additionally maintained that demonstrations would continue in spite of mass arrests.[i]
Security forces reportedly increased their presence in Zahedan and carried out mass arrests in the days preceding Abdol Hamid’s January 6 sermon, as CTP previously reported.[ii] The regime’s increased security presence and arrest campaign – both of which likely intended to disrupt protest organization and intimidate participants – did not apparently impact protest activity, however. Protest turnout in Zahedan on January 6 largely resembled protest activity recorded on December 30.[iii] Abdol Hamid’s defiance and increasingly direct criticism of the regime is likely sustaining demonstrations in Zahedan, and the inability of security to prevent demonstrations from forming within mosques may be allowing protesters to organize more easily and readily in Sistan and Baluchistan than in other provinces.
This young man was sentenced to eight years in prison for the grievous crimes of “insulting Khamenei” and “clapping during a demonstration.”
#ArshiaTakdastan, 18, is sentenced to 8yrs in prison for “insulting Khamenei,…” in addition to execution for “encouraging people to clap during protests” by Sari Islamic Revolutionary Court! He was arrested for participating in Sep 21 Noshahr protests!#مهسا_امینی#IranTruth pic.twitter.com/MNOQnCDihR
Read Related Also: Who will reign in the temple of the Lord? Sunday reflection
— IranTrue (@iran_true) January 3, 2023
Great Britain has joined the U.S. and many other Western democracies in designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group.
Reuters:
Britain will officially declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has arrested seven people with links to the United Kingdom over anti-government protests, as a terrorist group, the Telegraph reported on Monday, citing sources.
The move, which will be announced within weeks, is supported by Britain’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the report said.
Proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group would mean that it would become a criminal offence to belong to the group, attend its meetings, and carry its logo in public.
In some ways, the women and girls of Iran have already achieved a partial victory. At a mall in Tehran, women are brazenly walking around without a head covering — an act that would have landed them in a morality police re-education camp three months ago.
It took me a minute to realise this is a shopping mall in Tehran. This is what everyday protest in Iran looks like – and what no turning back looks like. Extraordinary. (A friend sent me this video). pic.twitter.com/aBDZO2d5Z4
— Ramita Navai (@ramitanavai) January 6, 2023
Now the regime is targeting one of the strongest voices in Iran. Masih Alinejad has been keeping the English-language world apprised of what’s been happening in Iran during the uprising. The regime is now trying to smear her with falsehoods.
This is how the Islamic Republic state TV describes the ongoing uprising and the role of my campaigns against the murderous regime. See how they are happy that Obama’s administration canceled my interview in 2009.#MahsaAmini #IranRevoIution
pic.twitter.com/nyyamAoYlr— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 7, 2023
Day 114 of the uprising will be a lot like the previous 113 days. Except the Iranians will be one day closer to ultimate victory.
