Human Rights Watch calls for an end to repression in Iran and the release of recent detainees

ArminJuly 12, 2022

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Human Rights Watch says the new wave of arrests in Iran is occurring after the "deadlock" in reviving the JCPOA agreement and is aimed at creating a barrier to public anger over widespread government failures.

The statement by this human rights organization was issued following the arrest of Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Al-Ahmad, and Jafar Panahi, well-known figures in Iranian cinema, as well as Mostafa Tajzadeh, a reformist political activist, and a number of families of victims of repression and violence in Iran.

The arrest of these individuals, especially the arrest of Iranian filmmakers, has met with widespread international reactions, including three European film and art festivals, which have strongly condemned this action by the Islamic Republic.

Human Rights Watch called the recent arrests of “prominent critics” “part of a new trend of repression of peaceful dissent” that “has come at a time when economic conditions are worsening and the international community is seemingly deadlocked in revitalizing the nuclear deal with Iran.”

If we were to summarize the Shiite government in one thing, it would be the veil. The mullahs' rule over us is a progressive veil under which these murders and destructions are carried out. A veil between us and the world, a border between Iran and the world, and a barrier between good and evil. A veil that wants to drag us down as much as possible. #Hijab_Without_Hijab

The organization has called on the Islamic Republic's authorities to end the "repression of dissent" and release those detained for peaceful activism and criticism of the government.

“The Iranian government, unable or unwilling to address the many very serious challenges facing Iran, has returned to the repressive practice of arresting popular critics,” said Tara Sepehrifar, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

According to him, "there is no reason to think that the recent arrests are anything other than a move aimed at containing public anger over widespread government failures."

The Islamic Republic's security authorities have previously arrested, tried, and returned to prison more than 12 civil and trade union activists, including Narges Mohammadi, Saeed Madani, Keyvan Samimi, Mohammad Habibi, and Reza Shahabi.

In the last week of June, several journalists and activists, including Vida Rabbani, Ahmadreza Haeri, Amirsalar Davoudi, and Masoud Bastani, were arrested, sentenced, or summoned.

As Western parties have announced, Islamic Republic officials have brought the negotiations to revive the JCPOA to a standstill by proposing demands beyond the JCPOA.

The arrest of members of Aban's family and popular artists such as Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof is a sign of the regime's growing helplessness and fear of the national struggle to save Iran becoming more widespread. The nation's message to the regime is clear: We stand side by side and hand in hand until Iran's freedom, and we will not stop with arrest and imprisonment.

They blame the West and America for this impasse, but after this failure, they have increased pressure on critics at home and, as the weather has gotten warmer, have also increased the number of guidance patrols.

These measures, along with the difficult living conditions of the people in recent weeks, have created a wave of dissatisfaction among citizens and have also provoked strong criticism from cyberspace users.

Source: Radio Farda

Armin

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