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UPDATE: 4:00 PM CET
Growing Resentment Towards Iran’s Security Forces
Reported by the state-run Tasnim news agency on August 23, and citing the regime’s State Security Forces commander, a total of 45 personnel from their forces have been killed since the beginning of the Persian calendar year until the current date.
As per the announcement by this force, the month of Mordad (July-August) has witnessed the highest casualty count among law enforcement personnel, with 16 reported deaths. Additionally, during the month of Ordibehesht (April-May), 15 personnel of the repressive forces lost their lives.
The State Security Forces (SSF) has made public the names, profiles, and methods of death for the personnel who have died.
Since the 2019 uprising where the regime gunned down more than 1,500 protesters acorss the country, Iran is witnessing a growing surge of public resentment towards the regime’s security forces, driven by reports of violence, alleged abuses, and perceived lack of accountability.
Alarming Surge in Traffic Deaths: State Media Report Fatalities Spike
Various reports from Iranian state media indicate an increase in fatal traffic accidents across the country.
According to a report from the state-affiliated newspaper Etemad on August 22, based on statistics released by the regime’s Forensic Medical Organization a few weeks ago, annual traffic fatalities have reached 19,237, showing a significant increase of 16% compared to the previous year. This is occurring while global traffic fatalities are decreasing and have neared zero in some countries.
According to Mehr News Agency, in the first three months of the current year, 5,086 individuals lost their lives in traffic accidents. This figure represents a 12.4% increase compared to the same period last year, which had a death toll of 4,523 individuals. Of the total accident fatalities this spring, 3,967 were male and 1,119 were female.
In the month of Khordad 1402 (June 2023), compared to other months of the year, the highest number of accident fatalities has been recorded. In this month, 1,753 individuals lost their lives in accidents, which is a higher figure than the months of Farvardin (March-April) and Ordibehesht (April-May).
The accident fatality rate for this month has increased by 9.4% compared to the same period of the previous year. In Khordad of this year, 35,133 accident-related injuries were also reported to forensic medical centers, indicating a 5.3% growth compared to the same period of the previous year.
In Light of Fuel Price Hikes Protests Will Erupt, MP Warns
Jalal Rashidi Kuchi, a member of the regime’s parliament, expressed concerns about the consequences of raising gasoline prices, stating, “Fundamentally, our approach to gasoline has been wrong. Even now, if we tamper with gasoline prices, people will take to the streets! If we interfere with gasoline prices, all aspects of people’s lives will be disrupted, and they will come to the streets to protest.”
He added, “If you provide cars at global prices, then provide gasoline at global prices. This way, undoubtedly, no one will protest.”
Commander Affiliated with Lebanese Hezbollah killed Along with His Companion in Daraa
A local commander of the Military Intelligence Department, who is affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah, was directly shot along with his companion in the area between Da’il City and Ibtae’ Town in the middle Daraa countryside.
Since early 2023, SOHR activists have documented 344 incidents of security disorder which left 281 people dead; and they are as follows:
• 90 civilians, including five children and six women.
• 23 men accused of “involved in the drug business.”
• 132 regime soldiers, members, and collaborators with regime security services, including a woman.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
Ukrainian Nobel Laureate Supports Investigation of Iran’s 1988 Massacre of Political Prisoners
On Monday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a conference in Paris, attended by international jurists and political figures which included the former president of the International Criminal Court. This marked the 35th anniversary of the massacre of political prisoners by the Iranian regime. Ukrainian 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oleksandra Matviichuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties of Ukraine, joined the conference via an online link.
“Thirty-five years ago, the Iranian regime executed thousands and thousands of people. The international community is still discussing how many people were killed, but what is obvious is that it is a crime against humanity, which has no statute of limitations,” said Matviichuk in a recorded video, adding that “after 35 years, the relatives of victims are still waiting for justice.”
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran: Two Days of Widespread Protests by Outraged Retirees
Retired government employees and employees of the telecom industries held their weekly protest rallies in several cities across the country on Monday and Tuesday, as their lives continue to spiral into poverty as a result of the regime’s destructive policies. Rallies were reported in Mashhad, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Zanjan, Shahrekord, Sanandaj, Urmia, Tehran, Ahvaz, Ilam, Ardebil, Karaj, Semnan, and Poldokhtar. In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency. The price of most basic goods has spiked severalfold while pensioners continue to receive the same stipends as before. On Monday, retirees of the telecom industry in Mashhad held their weekly rally in front of the local offices of the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and other basic rights.
Khamenei Is Futilely Trying To Lift the Spirit of His Forces
On Thursday, August 17, in a meeting with IRGC commanders, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei tried to boost the morale of its forces in the face of nationwide hatred toward the regime and international condemnation of the regime’s crimes.
Khamenei boasted about the “attractiveness of the IRGC and Basij” especially among young people and also tried to inverse the reality of the regime on the international front by saying, “One of the important parts of the enemy’s activities is to distort the image of the IRGC and Basij.”
Reacting to the great influence of the Iranian Resistance in the international political arena, and efforts to have IRGC designated as a terrorist organization by governments, Khamenei said, “IRGC is the largest anti-terrorist organization in the world.”
Iran’s Regime Cracks Down On Students In Anticipation of Uprisings
As the people and youth of Iran brace themselves to face off with the regime at the cusp of the anniversary of the 2022 uprising, recent reports in student media shed light on the widespread summoning of students from various universities to security institutions.
According to these reports, the Iran regime’s intelligence and security agents have recently summoned and issued threats to dozens of students from universities such as Amirkabir, Allameh, Khajeh Nasir, Tarbiat Modares, Ferdowsi, Mashhad, and Isfahan.
On Monday, August 14, the Amirkabir News Channel reported the summoning of at least 10 students from Amirkabir University of Technology, (Tehran’s Polytechnic). These students were summoned to the “Ministry of Intelligence Investigation Office” located on Baradaran Mozafar Street.
A Stark Example of Torture on the Street: Demeaning and Parading the Accused in Shahr-E Rey
Yesterday, on Monday, August 21, 2023, a video was released showing a group of handcuffed and shackled detainees, wearing black blindfolds, being paraded in Shahr-e Rey by state security forces while being humiliated, and expressing remorse. These detainees, labeled as “scoundrels and thugs,” were arrested by military forces and humiliated by security forces in public view, before standing trial.
Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi, the prosecutor of Rey County, had told reporters: “Following several incidents of insecurity, shootings, and clashes in the Baroot Kobbi neighborhood, the most notorious troublemaker of Shahr-e Rey was arrested and subsequently sent to prison after judicial proceedings.”
Mohammad Ghasem Torrahani, the commander of the State Security forces in Rey County, also commented on the humiliation of these detainees, saying: “The reconstruction of the scene of the clash in the Baroot Kobbi neighborhood of Shahr-e Rey was carried out upon the order of the prosecutor of Rey County. The most notorious troublemakers of Shahr-e Rey were paraded in front of the citizens, and they expressed remorse and regret to the citizens.”
The Earthquake Risk in Tehran in 2023: A Looming Disaster
The concept of government responsibility for citizen welfare can manifest in various ways, including environmental protection, natural disasters like earthquake risk, social programs, public services, economic policies, protecting rights, and freedom of the media and the right to protest an so on. In general, responsible governments should look after the welfare of their citizens, and these measures reflect the importance of governance that considers the needs and interests of the people it serves. A quick and in-depth look into the report card of the regime of the mullahs in Iran, in all measures and metrics, draws a bleak picture of Today’s Iran. A country rich in human talents and natural resources but inept and corrupt system of governance. Among the areas of mismanagement and negligence, the state environment in Iran is one of the worst.
Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi Arrested Again in Tehran
Former political prisoners, Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi were arrested in Tehran on Monday, August 21, 2023. The arrests are taking place in line with the wave of arrests the regime is making on the eve of the anniversary of the Iran Uprising on September 16, 2022. Forough Taghipour and Marzieh Farsi were arrested on Monday, August 21, 2023, and immediately transferred to Evin Prison. They have not been able to contact their families, yet. Marzieh Farsi suffers from cancer, and she does not have access to her medications while in detention.
Born on May 10, 1994, Forough Taghipour graduated in accounting with a bachelor’s degree. Ms. Taghipour and her mother were arrested on February 24, 2020. She was detained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison and underwent interrogation under torture. On January 5, 2021, Tehran’s Revolutionary Court tried Forough Taghipour and her mother on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “assembly and collusion” through membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Oslo, Norway – August 19, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally and Exhibition, Commemorating the 1988 Massacre Martyrs
Oslo, Norway—August 19, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in front of the Norwegian Parliament in solidarity with the Iran Revolution, and commemorated the 1988 massacre martyrs.
Canada: MEK Supporters Rallied in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, Supporting the MEK Leadership and Against the Mullahs’ Regime
Canada, August 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, 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.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 22, 2023