A letter and its consequences; those calling for Khamenei's resignation were arrested, beaten, or threatened
According to numerous reports, signing the letter calling for Ayatollah Khamenei's resignation has had difficult consequences for those who signed it.
In recent weeks, Javad Lalmohammadi and Mohammad Hossein Sepehri received threatening messages from the signatories of the letter, Reza Mehregan was attacked, and Mohammad Nourizad and Mohammad Mahdavifar were arrested.
In late June of this year, 14 civil and political activists inside Iran signed a letter calling for Ali Khamenei's resignation as leader and a fundamental change to the constitution.
The letter, noting that during the "years of great loss," people who compassionately and civilly tried to restrain the Leader of the Islamic Republic and the leaders of the Islamic Republic from their "destructive wrongdoings and deviations" were either imprisoned or killed, called on the people and activists to "be the vanguard of this national movement by openly taking to the streets and demanding a fundamental change to the constitution and the resignation of the Leader, who is unjustly increasing his authority every day."
The signatories of the letter went on to call the president and representatives the leader's "suppliers."
A few weeks after signing this letter, Reza Mehregan, one of its signatories, posted a video on social media announcing that he had been attacked and beaten with a taser by unknown individuals.
Previously, Javad Lalmohammadi, a member of the Mashhad Teachers' Union and one of the signatories of the letter, had announced that he had received threatening messages several times, and Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, another signatory, had released a video saying that a knife-wielding person had rung the doorbell of his house and that no officer had come to investigate after calling 110.
In addition to these encounters, Mohammad Nourizad, another signatory of the letter, was arrested on Wednesday, July 9, after visiting the First Branch of the District 33 Prosecutor's Office in Evin.
Mohammad Reza Mahdavifar was also arrested on July 12 in the cities of Aran and Bidgol. His family members cited the reason for the arrest as “insulting the leadership.” Mr. Mahdavifar, who had been imprisoned many times before and was currently serving his exile, was on leave at the time of his arrest.
The arrest of the signatories of the letter comes at a time when Ayatollah Khamenei has stated in his speeches that people are free to criticize him. However, not only is there no criticism of the Leader of the Islamic Republic in the media, but even the slightest criticism raised by activists carries the charge of insulting the Leader.
In recent months, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Mohammad Javad Zarif and Hassan Rouhani "the showcase of a corrupt religious mafia" and said that the US government knows that it is Khamenei who makes the final decisions.
Mr. Pompeo also posted messages on Twitter with the hashtag #40YearsOfFailure, writing about the worsening economic and human rights situation over the past forty years and declaring that the leaders of the Islamic Republic prioritize ideology over the interests of the people.
Source: Voice of America
