THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Expert Warns of Failure of Mandatory Hijab Bill Amidst Rising Social Unrest
Amanollah Ghorayi Moghadam, a state-affiliated sociologist, acknowledged the explosive state of Iran’s society and warned about the fate of the new mandatory hijab bill, stating that this bill will fail and lead to upheaval.
According to the state-run Faraz Daily website, Moghadam stated on August 14, “Today, the level of dissatisfaction among the people is high. Besides the high cost of living, society has also undergone significant intellectual changes. This society will never return to the days before the passing of Mahsa Amini. Just observe the slogans that were chanted during this year’s Muharram processions.”
At a parliamentary session on August 13, a group of MPS proposed the adoption of the “hijab and chastity” bill in accordance with Article 85 of the Constitution and paved the way to get the bill in front of the Guardian Council without any review by the regime’s parliament.
UPDATE: 6:00 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, on Tuesday, August 15, retirees from across the country gathered in front of the National Retirement Fund offices in Kermanshah, Poldokhtar, Khorramabad, Ilam, Tabriz, Ardabil, Sanandaj, Sari, Qazvin, Hamadan, and Shahr-e Kord to protest the officials’ refusal to address their demands. They demanded the full implementation of the personnel and employment regulations of 2010, as well as the resolution of healthcare insurance issues.
August 15—Ardabil, northwest #Iran
Retired teachers and government employees resume their weekly rally, protesting poor living conditions, low pensions, and the regime refraining from providing their basic needs. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/uFlU8fzPsU— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 15, 2023
August 15—Ilam, western #Iran
Retired teachers and government employees rally in front of the government retirement fund, protesting poor living conditions, low pensions, and the regime refraining from providing their basic needs. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/AeIg72wcld— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 15, 2023
August 15—Sanandaj, western #Iran
Retired government employees rally in front of the governorate, protesting poor living conditions and low pensions.
Protesters chanting: "High prices, inflation, have destroyed the people's lives!"#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/huVGN0UhAt— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 15, 2023
Member of Basij Killed in Northern Iran
Tasnim News Agency reported on August 15 that a Basij member was killed in Tonekabon, Mazandaran Province.
According to the source, citing the Mazandaran headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, this morning, Basij member “Hamed Lazergholami was overrun by a suspicious vehicle.” He later died due to the severity of the injuries sustained.
In recent days, the Chief Commander of the regime’s State Security Forces, Ahmadreza Radan, admitted that 38 of his forces have been killed by the people in these past few months.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET
Telecom Retirees in Iran Resume Protests as Authorities Continue To Deprive Them of Their Rights
Retirees and pensioners of the Iranian regime’s telecommunications industry held their weekly protest rallies in several cities across the country on Monday, as their living conditions continue to deteriorate and the ruling mullahs refuse to address their needs. Rallies were reported in Tehran, Shahrekord, Bandar Abbas, Ardabil, Ahvaz, Rasht, Ilam, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Isfahan. The protesters are demanding basic needs that they have raised for more than 13 years and the regime has constantly ignored. This includes a law that was passed in 2010 and requires the state-run telecom company to raise the pensions of retirees and provide them with their basic needs. In Isfahan, the protesters were chanting, “If there is one less embezzlement case, our problems will be solved.”
Iran’s Regime Has Lost All Prospects For Reform, Expert Warns
The Iranian regime’s ability to sustain its power has become a critical challenge that will determine its fate amidst the ongoing repercussions of the 2022 uprising. Experts within the regime are grappling with various strategies to address the existential challenges it faces, with a consensus emerging that the regime is currently in a state of decline. The prevailing assessment among governance experts highlights the accelerated erosion of the regime’s social support base, mainly attributed to ‘excessive centralization’ over the past four decades and the absence of viable ‘top-down reforms.’ It is widely agreed that the window for ‘bottom-up reforms’ has closed, leaving the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with only one opportunity: a ‘revolution from above,’ entailing a comprehensive overhaul of the system and its constitution. Among these experts, Mohsen Renani, in a post on August 2, delves into the infrastructural crises facing the regime, which have contributed to its ongoing instability and the growing public discontent.
Families Seeking Justice for Their Children Are Summoned, Detained, and Threatened on the Anniversary of Iran Revolution
September 16 marks the anniversary of the murder of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the beginning of nationwide protests last year, during which nearly 750 protesters were brutally killed by security forces. Security institutions have already started threatening, summoning, and detaining families who seek justice for their children, demanding that they refrain from attending the gravesites of their lost loved ones on the first anniversary of their murders and not hold any ceremonies. Imposing this pressure on the families of the victims killed by security forces during the protests last year, is a clear violation of citizens’ public rights, as it constitutes a threat and obstruction to their access to the right to mourn and the dignity of the deceased.
Monir Tej, an Exemplary Mojahed Woman
The Iranian people lost a formidable daughter, Monir Tej, who passed away in Albania on the night of August 13, 2023, due to heart failure. Born in Tehran in 1962, Monir Tej’s journey intertwined with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) following the upheaval of the 1979 revolution. Throughout 44 years of unwavering commitment to Iran’s freedom and democracy, she navigated numerous trials, leaving an indelible blueprint for her compatriot women in Iran. Her hands toiled as a worker at the Pars Electric Factory in Tehran, where she also collaborated closely with the PMOI’s workers’ department. Monir Tej’s path led her into the grip of incarceration after the turning point of June 20, 1981, which marked the onset of the Iranian people’s just Resistance against the clerical regime.
Majlis Research’s Center: 60% of Iran’s Population Has Lost Access to Housing
In its newest report, the Iranian regime’s Majlis (Parliament) Research’s Center described the increase in exit rates from the housing market and indicated that households in the first to third deciles absolutely, third to fifth deciles and even some in the sixth decile are unable to secure the necessary housing for their habitation. In its report titled “Analysis of Housing Policies in Five-Year Development Plans,” the center emphasizes that repeated leaps in housing prices in the late 2010s have doubled the number of households that are unable to purchase a home in comparison to the beginning of the decade. According to the Research Center, four decades of housing planning by different administrations have not been desirable for low-income groups, particularly in major cities, where the decisions have been inefficient and disadvantageous.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands—August 12, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally and Exhibition, Commemorating the 1988 Massacre Martyrs
Amsterdam, The Netherlands—August 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally and exhibition, commemorating the 1988 massacre martyrs.
MEK Supporters Rallies in Toronto, and Vancouver, Supporting the MEK Leadership and Against the Mullahs’ Regime
August 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Toronto, and Vancouver, and demanded the trial of Ali Khamenei (Supreme leader of the mullahs’ regime) for crimes against humanity, in an international court. They expressed strong support for the MEK leadership.
Gothenburg, Sweden—August 12, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally and Exhibition, Commemorating the 1988 Massacre Martyrs
Gothenburg, Sweden—August 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally and exhibition, commemorating the 1988 massacre martyrs. Iranian community in Gothenburg supported the MEK Leadership, demanding the trial of the mullahs’ regime leaders, especially Ali Khamenei (Supreme leader of the mullahs’ regime) and the mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity, in an international court.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 14, 2023