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The Corruption Infesting Iran’s Regime From Inside
Nearly a week after a leaked audio file of a conversation between two senior Revolutionary Guards commanders in 2018 made damning revelations about financial corruption at the highest levels of power in Iran, the regime was inevitably forced to confirm its authenticity.
Initially, regime officials and media tried to question the audio file, claiming that it was faked or doctored. After it became evident beyond the shadow of a doubt that the file was real, the regime’s media shifted its tone and tried to claim that the audio file was not new and had previously been published.
333,000 People Fall Below Poverty Line Every Month in Iran
According to data from the 2020 Poverty Monitoring report by Iran’s Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare, about 26 million Iranians were living below the poverty line in 2019. This was predicted to increase to 30 million in 2020. If you do the math, it means that four million people have fallen below the poverty line in one year, which means that 333,300 people have become impoverished per month. At times, the regime and all its lobbies have suggested that the reason for the economic hardship and unparalleled poverty of the Iranian people in a country rich in mines and reserves was caused by the sanctions imposed on Iran.
Navy Killed Poor Fuel Porter in South Iran
The Iranian regime’s naval forces killed a poor fuel porter in the city of Sirik in Hormozgan province on Tuesday, February 15. The citizen has been identified as Rashid Mallahi, a native of Kargan. The man who was trying to make a living by transporting fuel was killed as a result of a direct shot by criminal security forces in the port of Kuhstak.
Heritage Foundation: Iran Ranks 170th Out of 177 Countries in Terms of Economic Freedom Index
Iran’s economic freedom score is 42.4, making its economy the 170th freest in the 2022 Index. Iran is ranked last among 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages.
Over the past five years, Iran has experienced very slow growth: an average of only 1.2 percent annually. A five-year trend of declining economic freedom has accelerated. Sinking under the weight of sharp drops in scores for fiscal health and business freedom, Iran has recorded an 8.1-point overall loss of economic freedom since 2017 and has fallen further in the “Repressed” category. Although taxes and government spending do not weigh heavily on the economy, all of the other 10 indicators for Iran reflect significant weaknesses.
Baha’i Citizen Saba Sefidi Remains Detained After a Month
The family of Saba Sefidi, a Baha’i citizen, has repeatedly followed up on her status. Despite their efforts, the family has not yet been informed of the reasons for Ms. Sefidi’s arrest, her condition, or whereabouts. Since her arrest 33 days ago, Ms. Sefidi remains in detention, and no other information is available. She was arrested on January 11, 2022, after appearing in Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office.
Despite repeated follow-ups by Ms. Sefidi’s family, no information has been provided about the reasons for her detention, status, or whereabouts. Given that the judicial authorities of Branch 2 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office and security agencies have failed to provide any information, the Bahá’i citizen family has grave concerns.
Kurdish Woman Golaleh Moradi Starts Hunger Strike
Kurdish woman Golaleh Moradi started a hunger strike on Monday, February 14, 2022. Golaleh Moradi is a political prisoner detained under undetermined status in the Central Prison of Urmia for 10 months. One of Ms. Moradi’s relatives says she has not been tried despite 10 months in prison. The prison authorities do not account for this condition, either. The Kurdish woman Golaleh Moradi is deprived of having access to a lawyer or legal counsel.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – February 15, 2022
