As the first anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests in Iran approaches, the Iranian regime is escalating its efforts to suppress potential dissent and thwart any form of protests. Among its primary targets are sympathizers and relatives of members of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), a major opposition group.
On August 21, Marzieh Farsi, 58, and Forough Taghipour, 29 – both former political detainees and kin to PMOI members in Ashraf 3 – were arrested by regime authorities.
Both women had been detained in 2020 on charges associated with supporting the PMOI. While they were released in February 2023, their freedom was short-lived as they faced re-arrest in August.
This new wave of arrests follows an increasing trend of repressive tactics against PMOI advocates. Numerous PMOI-affiliated political prisoners have seen extended jail sentences and are denied even basic needs and medical services. In a recent and grim development, the regime reconfirmed the death sentence for political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafa’i Thani due to his support for the PMOI.
Further intensifying the crackdown, the regime’s judiciary has issued a summons for the prosecution of 104 MEK members. Given the regime’s dark history of executing tens of thousands of MEK affiliates, this move signals a heightened level of aggression. They’ve even instructed Iranian Resistance members to arrange for legal representation in court.
These intensified crackdowns reveal the regime’s deep-rooted fear of PMOI’s growing influence. On-ground MEK Resistance Units persistently fuel the spirit of rebellion throughout Iran. Indeed, regime insiders have openly expressed their concerns about PMOI’s expanding influence, labeling it as one of their primary challenges today.
In its escalating war on dissidents, especially PMOI supporters and family members of the Iranian opposition, Iran's regime has arrested Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi.
Both are former political prisoners and relatives of PMOI members in Ashraf 3.
Forough (29) was first… pic.twitter.com/eEZUwQrvcz— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 23, 2023
Parallel to these repressive actions against PMOI supporters, the regime has amplified the rate of executions within its prisons. On a single day, August 21, 10 individuals were executed in various prisons, as reported by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Earlier this month, the NCRI disclosed a three-day span where 14 people were executed, and in July, they warned of the harrowing count of nearly 400 executions in 2023 alone.
Besides the soaring prison violence, the regime has also reactivated its morality police to oppress women in public spaces and initiated a series of punitive actions against students active in the 2022 protests.
Despite these severe measures, the spirit of resistance remains unbroken. MEK Resistance Units are not only surviving but thriving, effectively challenging the regime’s suffocating tactics every day.
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
