Today, July 30, in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, farmers gathered at Khorasgan Square to protest against severe water shortages and the government’s failure to address their demands. The farmers, whose livelihoods depend heavily on water for agriculture, have been increasingly vocal about the mismanagement and scarcity of water resources.
Simultaneously, in other regions of Iran, protests and strikes have become widespread. In Shadgan, for the second consecutive day, residents protested outside a steel factory, while tractor owners in Bandar Abbas rallied in front of the local government office. In Chabahar, workers of the desalination project went on strike.
In a more alarming development, security forces attacked the village of Ghaderabad in Khash, resulting in violent clashes. According to local reports, the security forces entered the village to search homes without judicial warrants. When residents protested, the forces opened fire, killing a 50-year-old woman and injuring several others, including a teenager. A local news website covering Sistan and Baluchestan confirmed the fatal shooting and reported that the security forces blocked emergency medical services from reaching the injured, forcing residents to transport them to the hospital using private vehicles.
July 30—Isfahan, central #Iran
Farmers rally at the Khorasgan Square to protest water shortages and the government lack of response to their demands.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/C5xY7anYav— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 30, 2024
The official narrative from the state-run Fars News Agency claimed that the operation targeted a cell linked to a local militant group, arresting four individuals transporting explosives. However, local witnesses disputed this, stating no arrests were made prior to the violence and the security forces’ actions were unwarranted.
Today also marks the 27th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays Campaign,” where political prisoners across 17 prisons have launched a weekly hunger strike to call for nationwide solidarity in forcing the regime to end its brutal wave of executions. The political prisoners who organized the strike issued a statement today, urging the international community and human rights organizations to intervene and support the campaign against executions and human rights abuses in Iran.
Last week, Kamran Sheikha, a political prisoner who had spent 15 years under torture, was executed. His case, along with others like Khosrow Basharat, who was executed after a similarly opaque legal process, highlights the Judiciary’s harsh and often arbitrary measures against political dissidents. Three Kurdish political prisoners from Bukan, Suleiman Adhami, Hossein Khosravi, and Hiwa Nouri, have also been sentenced to death under dubious charges.
As the new regime president Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in today, the regime continues to neglect the rightful demands of Iranian workers, government employees, and retirees, while proceeding with grave human rights violations and a crackdown on dissent. As the people of Iran take to the streets every day, they are constantly reminded that there is no prospect of change unless regime change is achieved.