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UPDATE: 10:00 PM CEST
Hamas Political Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed In Iran
Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran, a major development that throws the region into an unpredictable and dangerous new phase.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind Haniyeh’s assassination. In remarks Wednesday, a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting, saying his country is “ready for any scenario” and has delivered “crushing blows” to its enemies.
Haniyeh was the second figure of an Iran-backed group assassinated in the past day, following the killing by Israel of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.
UPDATE: 6:00 PM CEST
UN Expert Cites Genocide in Iran, Hints at World’s Complacency
The outgoing UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Prof. Javaid Rehman, issued his final report on July 17, 2024, and reiterated a call for international bodies, including the UN, to hold Iranian officials accountable for “atrocity crimes.” The landmark report emphasized the mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s and affirmed that there are grounds to label these killings as “genocide” and to prosecute them accordingly.
Rehman underscored that the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK), which is the country’s leading pro-democracy opposition, was the main target of the 1988 massacre. Some 30,000 of its members and sympathizers were lost to the Iranian regime’s gallows just between July and September 1988, according to credible reports. The report acknowledged that the evident purpose of the massacre was to destroy not just the MEK but entire communities identified by regime officials and then-Supreme Leader Khomeini as “enemies of Islam.”
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CEST
Political Prisoners Launch “No To Execution Tuesdays Campaign” Amid Surge in Executions
In a bold move against the rising tide of executions in Iran, political prisoners across 17 prisons have launched the “No to Execution Tuesdays Campaign,” now in its 27th week. The campaign, which began with a handful of prisons, has expanded to include facilities in major cities such as Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, and Tabriz, as well as smaller towns like Khoy, Naqadeh, and Saqqez. The latest round of protests, which started on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, saw prisoners in various wards of Evin prison, Ghezel Hesar, Central Karaj, Khorramabad, and other facilities embarking on hunger strikes. The campaign has gained momentum with the recent addition of Nezam Prison in Shiraz.
An Important Milestone for Iran’s Justice-Seeking Movement
The 1979 revolution marked an end to the despotic rule of the shah in Iran and the beginning of a new chapter for the struggles of Iran’s people. The people of Iran, eager to achieve freedom and liberation from the yoke of despotism, stood firm to realize the spring of freedom in Iran. But this spring soon turned into a cold autumn and winter, with all hopes fading away as the mullahs hijacked the revolution. Freedom vanished, and prisons, chains, torture, and executions spread throughout the country. Those brief moments of sweet victory were suddenly crushed by corrupt, thieving, and criminal mullahs, and poverty and misery prevailed.
The climax of the brutality in the history of the mullahs’ religious fascism was the massacre of more than political prisoners in 1988, most of whom were members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The regime carried out this massacre under a fatwa by regime supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who made it clear that anyone who stood steadfastly in support of the PMOI should be killed.
The School Judge: Iran’s Repressive Plan to Curb Student Protests
The Iranian regime has unveiled an alarming plan to deploy “school judges” across the country, a move that has sparked tensions and concerns among parents, teachers, and students. According to Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the regime’s judiciary, “The plan of the school judge is on the agenda this year in the whole country, both to identify these damages and not to allow them to pollute its environment.”
The stated purpose of this plan, according to government officials, is to “manage students’ behavior.” However, many perceive it as a blatant attempt to suppress the voices of students who challenge the status quo and express dissent against the regime’s policies.
Iranian Regime’s Efforts to Influence U.S. Elections and Sow Discord
In a recent assessment of the disinformation landscape leading up to the November U.S. elections, intelligence officials have highlighted Iran’s ongoing efforts to stoke societal discord and potentially influence the presidential race. The Iranian regime appears to be reprising its strategy from 2020, aiming to undermine former President Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House.
According to a senior official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tehran’s motivations stem from a desire to “avoid an outcome they perceive would increase tensions with the United States.” This statement alludes to, without explicitly stating, Iran’s opposition to Trump’s potential return to power.
Unyielding Spirits: The Fight for Liberation from Evin’s Walls
A group of political prisoners from the women’s ward of Evin Prison in Tehran sent out a statement today, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, announcing that they stand with other political prisoners in the Tuesdays Against Executions Campaign. Following is a translation of their statement: The regime aims to suppress and block the rebellion and uprising of a people exhausted by systematic censorship, oppression, and executions by imprisoning liberated women—those free from exploitative thoughts and those who have gained the strength, power, and ability to break all barriers and shatter every chain of oppression and servitude.
We, a group of female political prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers in the dreadful prisons under the mullahs’ Supreme Leader.
14,000 Hemophilia Patients in Iran Facing Medication Shortages
Elnaz Yari, the director of the Hemophilia Center of Tehran Province, noted that 14,000 hemophilia patients are registered in the country. She emphasized the provision of medication as the primary need of these patients and stated that this center has experienced one of the most challenging periods in recent years in terms of supplying hemophilia medications. In an interview with the regime’s ISNA news agency, the director of the Hemophilia Center of Tehran Province mentioned that out of the 14,000 hemophilia patients in the country, 4,000 are in Tehran. She added that there are probably patients in the country, especially in deprived areas like Sistan and Baluchestan Province (where consanguineous marriages are common), who have not been identified yet.
Iranian President Pezeshkian Faces Global Backlash Over Ceremony Guests
While officials of the Iranian regime attempted to present the inauguration ceremony of the 14th government’s president as a “symbol of power” in the world, the presence of some foreign guests, including Enrique Mora, has faced criticism.
Adam Bielan MEP, foreign affairs coordinator for the ECR Group, was among those who protested against the attendance of the Deputy Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union at Pezeshkian’s inauguration. In a letter to Josep Borrell, he wrote, “This decision is not only misguided but stands in direct contradiction to the values and principles that the European Union purports to uphold,” Bielan stated in his letter. “We expect a swift and appropriate response to ensure that our foreign policy remains consistent with our shared values and commitments.”
Paris, July 30, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Paris, France—July 30, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organize a photo and book exhibition. This exhibition is held in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution and as a protest against the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 30, 2024