Prince's new call: The streets against bullets, the people against a government that shows no mercy

Prince Reza Pahlavi's new call was issued while the Islamic Republic responded to the protest with hunting arrows and massacres.

Following the spread of street protests in various cities in Iran and at the same time as the previous call, Prince Reza Pahlavi released a video message on Friday evening, January 9, announcing the entry of the protests into a new phase; a phase that, beyond a symbolic presence, emphasizes a nationwide strike, the occupation of city centers, and the paralyzing of the Islamic Republic's machine of repression.

This call was issued at a time when the Islamic Republic has once again shown that it has no red lines when dealing with the people. Field reports via Starlink, published images, and eyewitness testimony indicate that security forces and plainclothes personnel have fired directly at protesters with hunting rifles and firearms, resulting in the deaths and injuries of a number of defenseless citizens.

While protesters were on the streets empty-handed, carrying flags and national symbols, the government's response was bullets, shotguns and killings. The use of hunting rifles, which had caused blindness, severe injuries and deaths in protests in previous years, was repeated once again, an act that shows that violent repression is not the exception, but the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic.

In his message, Prince Reza Pahlavi clarifies that the purpose of the protests is no longer simply to be present on the streets, but rather to prepare to conquer and maintain city centers; a path that the government is trying to suffocate in blood before it can fully take shape, using naked violence.

Prince Reza Pahlavi's call for workers and employees in key sectors of the economy, particularly transportation, oil, gas, and energy, to begin a nationwide strike reflects a focus on the government's main weakness: "an economy that is worn out and dependent on human labor."

The government's response to this call has been to intensify street repression; an action that shows that the connection between strikes and the streets is the real nightmare of the power structure, and that the Islamic Republic is resorting to deadly violence to prevent it.

In an important part of his message, Prince Reza Pahlavi addresses the youth, the Iranian Immortal Guard, and the armed and security forces, joining the National Cooperation Platform: "Slow down and disrupt the machine of repression even more than before." This call comes at a time when shooting people has completely called into question the moral and legal legitimacy of any order to suppress.

From the perspective of international law, shooting unarmed protesters with hunting rifles and firearms is a clear example of a gross violation of the right to life and a state crime against civilians. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Islamic Republic has also acceded, the use of deadly force is permitted only in situations of immediate and unavoidable threat; a condition that does not exist in peaceful street protests at all. The continuation of this behavior establishes not only the individual criminal responsibility of the perpetrators of the shooting, but also the direct political and legal responsibility of the government at the international level.

In his message last night, Shah Pahlavi addressed the Iranian people and said:

"My dear compatriots!

You have inspired the admiration of the world with your courage and steadfastness. Your glorious reappearance on the streets of Iran on Friday evening was a crushing response to the threats of the treacherous and criminal leader of the Islamic Republic. I am sure he saw these images from his hiding place and trembled with fear.

Now, with your decisive response to the first call, I am certain that we will completely bring the Islamic Republic and its worn-out and fragile apparatus of repression to its knees, with the goal of expanding our street presence while simultaneously cutting off its financial arteries.

In this regard, I call on workers and employees in key sectors of the economy, especially transportation and oil, gas, and energy, to begin a nationwide strike.

I also ask all of you to come to the streets today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, January 20th and 21st, this time from 6:00 PM, with flags, images and national symbols, and take over public spaces. Our goal is no longer just to come to the streets; the goal is to prepare to conquer and hold the city centers. To achieve this goal, move as many different routes as possible to the more central parts of the cities and connect the separated populations with each other. At the same time, prepare now to stay on the streets and make the necessary provisions.

I say to the youth, the Iranian Eternal Guard, and all the armed and security forces who have joined the National Cooperation Platform: slow down and disrupt the machine of repression even more so that on the promised day, you can completely disable it.

I am also preparing to return to my homeland to be with you, the great nation of Iran, when the revolution is victorious. I believe that day is very close.

"Perseverant Iran"