THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Iran Uprising at a Glance
Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran
Monday, April 17, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1
- Days: 214
- Protests: 282 cities
- Fatalities: 750+ estimated deaths, 675 identified by MEK
- Detentions: 30,000
Iran’s nationwide uprising marked its 214th day on Monday, as more cities across Iran witnessed a continuation of horrific chemical gas attacks targeting mostly innocent schoolgirls. Parents and locals in different cities protested these aggressions against their children and held authorities responsible.
April 15 – Members of MEK Resistance Units inside #Iran marched in the streets of four different areas of Tehran and the cities of Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Hamadan, and Chalus to protest and chant anti-regime slogans against the ruling theocracy.pic.twitter.com/xateVIQLvX
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 17, 2023
Members of the Resistance Units, a network affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), marched in the streets of four different areas of Tehran and the cities of Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Hamadan, and Chalus on April 15 to protest and chant anti-regime slogans against the ruling theocracy. Their slogans included:
“Poisonings should be responded to with measures against the mullahs’ regime!”
“Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or [Khamenei]!”
“Freedom will come with the motto of ‘we can and we must!’”
“Democracy and freedom with Maryam Rajavi!”
“Down with Khamenei! Hail to Rajavi!”
“The world should know that Massoud Rajavi is our leader!”
“The National Liberation Army of Iran is our final response [to the regime]!”
“Khamenei, you murderer! We will bury you!”
“We are the MEK, and we are in a struggle against the [mullahs’ regime]!”
“We swear on the blood of our compatriots that we will stand to the end!”
“The MEK are present in every street and alley!”
“With or without the hijab, we are heading for a revolution!”
“No to monarchism! No to [mullahs’ regime]! Democracy and equality!”
“No to the crown! No to the turban! The mullahs’ time is up!”
“Poverty! Corruption! High prices! We will fight to overthrow the regime!”
April 17 – Mahdasht, Alborz Province, west of Tehran, #Iran
Regime operatives launched a chemical gas attack targeting the all-girls Mohammad Bagher School. A number of students are in dire condition.#IranChemicalAttackspic.twitter.com/Lznbq9kMRp— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 17, 2023
According to reports tallied by the MEK, in the provincial capital of Kurdistan in western Iran, regime operatives launched a chemical gas attack targeting the all-girls Nasibeh School, the Sherafat School, and the Khadijeh Kobra School on Monday morning. Several students are in dire condition. Locals consider these attacks “organized” by the regime’s security force. Similar gas attacks and poisoning were reported in several cities, including:
- The all-girls Shahed School in the Abiyari neighborhood of Urmia, northwest Iran
- The all-girls Mohammad Bagher School in Mahdasht, Alborz Province, west of Tehran
- The Aseman School in the Za’faraniyeh district of Tabriz, northwest Iran
- The all-girls Fajr, Esmat, and Sharaf schools, and the all-girls Shahed High School in Bukan, northwest Iran
April 17 – Bukan, northwest #Iran
Regime operatives launched chemical gas attacks targeting the Fajr and Esmat schools. A number of students are reportedly ill and needed medical attention.#IranChemicalAttacks pic.twitter.com/nL2MdTtoWG— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 17, 2023
- The Hajar School in Divandarreh, western Iran
- The Jafar Sadegh Intermediate School in the District 4 area and the Malakzadeh Elementary School of Karaj, west of Tehran. According to reports, some of the students in the Malakzadeh Elementary School fell unconscious.
- The all-girls Farhang Intermediate School in Ravansar, western Iran. At least two students were transferred to medical centers.
- The Parseh School in Isfahan, central Iran
In Ahvaz, southwest Iran, parents, and locals gathered outside the governor’s office, protesting the ongoing chemical attacks by regime operatives.
April 17 – Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Parents and locals rallied outside the governor's office protesting the ongoing chemical gas attacks by regime operatives targeting schoolchildren.#IranProtests #IranChemicalAttacks pic.twitter.com/FMHEcUczRY— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 17, 2023
Nurses and medical staff members from across Qazvin Province held a gathering on Monday outside the local governor’s office in Qazvin, northwest Iran, protesting the regime’s unjust policies that delay and decrease their paychecks and pensions.
Local activists in Bukan in northwest Iran say the IRGC was flying helicopters over the city on Monday as authorities are very concerned about widespread protests.
In Tehran, protesters wrote “Down with Khamenei” on a large billboard on the capital’s Modarres Highway hours after midnight local time. In addition, retired employees of the state media network rallied today to protest the poor living conditions caused by the regime’s destructive economic policies.
April 17 – #Iran
Retired employees of the state media network are protesting their poor living conditions due to the regime's destructive economic policies, or lack thereof.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/TqKkpdKpSU— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 17, 2023
Protesters in Sari in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, attacked a base of the regime’s IRGC paramilitary Basij force.
Locals in the Shahrak-e Bagheri and North Karegar St. districts of Tehran were chanting anti-regime slogans on Sunday night, including:
“Down with Khamenei!”
“Down with the child-killing regime!”
“Down with Khamenei, the murderer!”
April 16 – Tehran, #Iran
Locals in the capital's Shahrak-e Bagheri district began chanting anti-regime slogans, including:
"Down with Khamenei!"
"Down with the child-killing regime!"
"Down with Khamenei, the murderer!"#IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/bkDQmRVXLG— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 16, 2023
UPDATE: 5:30 PM CET
Five Us Schools Accused of Collaborating With Sanctioned Iranian Entities: Watchdog
EXCLUSIVE — An anti-nuclear Iran watchdog group has accused five U.S. universities of collaborating with entities sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.
United Against a Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring threats posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, sent a series of letters to Virginia Tech University, the University of Washington, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in December that alleged people associated with the institutions had collaborated on technical research with people associated with three Iranian entities sanctioned by Western governments.
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CET
One Thousand People in Zabol Sleep in Graves, MP Admits
During the regime’s parliamentary session today, MP Mohammad Sargezi said: “In the city of Zabol, there are more than a thousand individuals who spend the night in boxes or graves. Various officials from the government and revolutionary institutions have come to Sistan and Baluchistan province. They saw this situation closely, but they did not take any action. Today, even getting some bread to eat has turned into a crisis for the people.”
UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET
Surge in Chemical Gas Attacks by Iran’s Regime as Popular Protests Escalate
More cities across Iran are witnessing a continuation of horrific chemical gas attacks targeting mostly innocent schoolgirls. Parents and locals in different cities are protesting these aggressions against their children and holding authorities responsible. Regime officials, however, constantly claim that they have no lead in finding the perpetrators behind these attacks. The Iranian people are finding this hard to believe considering all the regime’s strict security measures and the vast number of security cameras installed throughout their cities.
People throughout Iran continue to specifically hold the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responsible for their miseries, while also condemning the oppressive Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and paramilitary Basij units, alongside other security units that are on the ground suppressing the peaceful demonstrators.
Detention of Massoumeh Ahmadi and Others Highlights Ongoing Political Oppression in Iran
Iranian women and girls continue to face human rights violations and political oppression, as evidenced by the recent arrests and detention of Massoumeh Ahmadi, Arghavan Fallahi, Sara Nasseri, and Rada Fatehi. These individuals have been targeted for their involvement in the Iran uprising, where citizens protested the clerical regime’s policies and actions. On Thursday, April 13, 2023, Massoumeh Ahmadi, the fiancée of Hamed Salahshour, who was killed during the Iran uprising in Izeh, was arrested by security forces. Massoumeh Ahmadi was detained while returning from a ceremony for Reza Shariati, a 21-year-old youth killed by security forces.
Religion Will Play No Role in Iran’s Future Government
Religion, as a social institution, has always played an influential role in the history of Iran. If we look back at the past century of Iran’s history, we can see that religion has had a particular role in social movements in the country. A backward and regressive understanding of religion, and specifically Islam, cast a shadow over the Constitutional Revolution from its very beginning, in the name of legitimacy! This religious perspective would later leave its mark on Iran’s political life. For instance, during the nationalization of the oil industry, we see that Kashani, an advocate of this regressive view on religion, stood at the front of colonialism and despotism. This religious perspective reached its peak with Khomeini’s arrival in Iran and the imposition of theocracy on our homeland.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – April 16, 2023
