Mesih Alinejad’s Brother Reveals Pressure on His Family

Mesih Alinejad’s brother has stated in a video sent to his sister that the pressure from the Ministry of Intelligence on their parents has intensely increased. The Ministry of Intelligence has asked the parents to speak against Mesih on television.

Mesih Alinejad, a political activist and women’s rights advocate, has released a video from her brother that he recorded before his arrest and sent to Mesih.

In this video, Ali Alinejad tells his sister that the pressure on their mother and father to appear on television and “expose” their son Mesih Alinejad has greatly intensified.

Mesih’s brother states in the video that the Ministry of Intelligence has visited their family home twice so far (up to the time of recording the video). Mesih’s mother told the intelligence agents that our family is unified and only these two children of ours (Ali and Mesih) have different thoughts from the rest, and asked them not to visit their home and not to “damage their reputation in the neighborhood.”

According to Mesih Alinejad’s brother, his mother told him that we might be forced to speak against Mesih for the sake of our other children, and twice told him “you and Mesih should not be upset with us.”

Apparently, Mesih Alinejad’s mother believes that if she appears on television and speaks against Mesih, the likelihood of her son Ali’s arrest would decrease. However, shortly after this video was recorded, Ali Alinejad was arrested.

Mesih’s brother told her in this video that she should be prepared for the possibility that today and tomorrow these pressures would yield results and their parents would appear on television and speak against her.

Ali Alinejad also said: “I am not at all worried about my own arrest; the only thing that troubles me is that my family would be placed against each other.”

Mesih’s brother also attributed the recording and sending of this video to Mesih’s constant request from families being harassed and persecuted by the “regime” to not remain silent. He continued: “Now I am giving you permission to speak immediately after my detention. Don’t worry about anything. Your work is right, I love you, continue your work.”

Last week, Mesih Alinejad announced on her Instagram page that her brother and also her sister and brother-in-law from her former husband’s family have been arrested.

Amnesty International also reacted on Wednesday, October 25th with a statement regarding pressure on Mesih Alinejad’s relatives.

In the statement of this human rights organization, it is stated that the Iranian government, by arresting the relatives and family members of women’s rights defenders, is attempting to force them into silence.

Mesih Alinejad said in an interview with Deutsche Welle: “I want to be very clear here that what is happening now is nothing but a continuation of what they have done throughout all these years to suppress and silence our movement: such as the arrest and conviction of Saba Kord Afshari, a twenty-year-old girl to 24 years in prison, a girl whose crime was joining the White Wednesdays movement. Or Yasmin Aryani and her mother who were each sentenced to 16 years in prison solely for peaceful protest against mandatory hijab on White Wednesdays. Or Maryam Kanavati who was arrested in the metro and sentenced to 23 years in prison. You see, in Mordad [August] six women were sentenced to a total of 109 years in prison. Why? What was their crime? Merely peaceful protest against mandatory hijab as one of the main pillars of the Islamic Republic’s tent.”

Source: DW