As tensions rise, the regime is making frenzied efforts to suppress any form of dissent and forestall any impending protests.
Key figures and sympathizers of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have been the main targets, as well as the families of PMOI members. Maryam Akbari Monfared, who was nearing the end of her 15-year sentence, has been singled out. Arrested in 2009, Monfared’s sentence was unexpectedly increased by two years, coupled with a hefty fine of 150 million rials.
What’s alarming is that during her 14 years of confinement, Monfared was denied even a single day’s furlough for medical treatment. Three of her siblings were previously executed by the regime due to their affiliation with PMOI. Their rights to family contact were blatantly violated, mirroring a wider crackdown on PMOI affiliates.
Several relatives of these protesters were arrested, and others were explicitly warned against organizing memorials. In a distressing development, regime agents have been vandalizing the graves of those killed. Last year, such memorials became a rallying point for dissent against the regime, something the authorities are keen to avoid this time around.
Amnesty International spotlighted these transgressions. Diana Eltahawy, the organization’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, remarked, “In their sinister attempt to cover up their crimes, the authorities are compounding the anguish and suffering of victims’ families.”
The academic sphere isn’t immune either. With universities becoming central to the 2022 uprising, the regime has dismissed multiple professors for their contrary political beliefs. Security forces have escalated their oppressive measures by detaining, expelling, and intimidating students. Recent months have witnessed widespread expulsions of faculty members from leading universities, with the security agencies being pivotal in all academic decisions.
Despite these intensified repressive tactics, the Iranian people and their resistance movement remain undeterred. Echoing through the streets of Iran, a defiant chant resounds: “The only solution is revolution.”
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu
