NCRI

Iran News in Brief – May 12, 2023

Sedighe Shahrokhi

iran tehran protests 11052023

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 8:30 PM CET

Iran Protests at a Glance

Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1

 According to reports by the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the people in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan province, took to the streets once again to vehemently express their deep-seated animosity towards the oppressive mullahs’ regime. In a remarkable display of bravery, the resolute citizens of Zahedan united in a powerful demonstration, resuming the country’s spirited anti-regime protests. These courageous people refuse to be deceived by the regime’s recent empty promises of initiating legal proceedings against those responsible for the killings of Baluchi protesters.

The protesters today chanted various slogans, including:
“Khamenei, have some shame! Let go of the country!”
“Basij and IRGC, you are our ISIS!”
“Mullahs must get lost!”

“Poverty-Corruption-High prices! We’re going to overthrow the regime!”
“Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
“Political prisoners must be released!”

“We swear on the blood of our compatriots that we stand to the very end!”
“I will kill those who killed my brother!”

“Khamenei is a murderer! We have nothing to eat!”
“My martyred brother! I will avenge your blood!”

Today, the NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi praised the brave people of Zahedan for their determination in continuing their anti-regime protests today and vowing to never stand down from this ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy in all of Iran.

Meanwhile, brave youths and members of the MEK Resistance Units network checkered in different cities and towns across Iran launched a new campaign of anti-regime measures in response to the regime’s recent surge in horrific executions.

MEK Resistance Units torched large images of Khamenei, regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini, and former IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani in Mashhad, Shiraz, Arak, and Sangar.

Locals of a village near the city of Kuhdasht in Lorestan Province, western Iran, held a gathering outside the governor’s office on Friday, protesting the officials’ refusal to rebuild a bridge destroyed near their homes.

In the northwestern part of the country, locals near the city of Marand held a gathering on Thursday morning to protest the regime authorities’ confiscation of their lands. Instead of heeding these calls, state security forces attacked the protesters.

Nightlife in Iran has become another scene of defiance. According to reports, on Thursday night, people in the Shahrak-e Bagheri district of Tehran were chanting anti-regime slogans, including “Down with the dictator!” As footage posted on the internet shows, this has become common practice in many cities across the country. 

UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET

Iran is Among Top Five Countries with World’s Highest Food Inflation, Government-affiliated Institution Says

A research institute affiliated with the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade declared Iran, along with countries like Zimbabwe, among the five countries with the highest food inflation in the world.

In a report titled “Food Inflation and Policy Experience of Countries”, the Institute of Business Studies and Research announced that Iran, both in terms of “nominal inflation” and in terms of “real inflation” of food prices, is among the worst countries in the world.

According to this report, in the period from March 2022 to March 2023, Iran experienced a “nominal inflation” of 73%, which is the worst country in the world after Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and Argentina. Also, in the same period, Iran has been ranked the fifth worst country in the world with “real inflation” of 20%, after Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Egypt.

Top US Diplomat Says Tehran Continues to Arm Houthis Despite Deal with Riadh

Special US Envoy for Yemen said the regime in Iran is arming, training, and providing equipment for the Houthis despite signing an agreement with the Saudis that was supposed to ease tensions in the Middle East.

In a special online briefing at the United States Department of State, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said: “I remain concerned. Despite the fact that we welcomed an agreement between the Saudis and the Iranians, I remain concerned about Iran’s role, which is to say that over the period of the war, they have armed and trained and equipped the Houthis to fight and attack Saudi Arabia. We’re very, very positive that these attacks have not taken place for over a year, but the Iranians have continued to smuggle weaponry and narcotics toward the conflict, and we are very concerned that this would continue despite the benefits that could come from a Saudi-Iran deal.”

Bipartisan Congressional Group Calls for US Allies to Label Iranian Army as Terror Group

A bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers on Thursday sent letters to the heads of Australia, India, the U.K. and Canada to urge the U.S.-allied nations to designate the Iranian army as a terrorist group. Twenty-two Republican and Democratic lawmakers signed the letters, which were addressed and sent individually to the four countries. The letters put renewed pressure on the allied countries to officially join the U.S. in labeling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety as a terrorist organization.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and the IRGC is the central core of the country’s terrorist operations at home and abroad,” lawmakers wrote.

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McCaul, Wilson, Gonzalez, Hill, Boyle Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Hold Assad Regime Accountable

Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Chairman Joe Wilson (R-SC), along with Rep. French Hill (R-AS), Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) introduced the Assad Anti-Normalization Act to hold the Assad regime, and its backers, accountable for their crimes against the Syrian people and deter normalization with the Assad regime.

“Assad, and his Russian and Iranian backers, continue to commit horrific acts against the Syrian people and undermine regional security,” said Chairman McCaul. “They must be held accountable for these crimes, not welcomed back unconditionally by the international community.

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UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET

Iranian Regime Threatens to Hijack Swedish Citizens

In an interview with state TV, the Iranian regime’s deputy for international affairs and human rights Kazem Gharibabadi threatened Sweden with more hostage-taking would Stockholm refuse to release Hamid Noury.

“Concerning Hamid Noury’s case, this issue has been brought up in the framework of the international level,” Gharibabadi said. “In my opinion, and from a legal perspective, this enables the Islamic Republic to file cases about Swedish nationals. The principle of immunity is still in place in the country, but it is very important to discuss bilateral relations and seriously demand these issues from the Swedish government.”

Acknowledging that the regime has been the source of a smearing campaign against the Iranian Resistance, he added: “We have documents which we sent to European countries as well as to international and human rights organizations that the group of hypocrites [the Iranian regime’s pejorative for MEK] is still a terrorist group, it is still carrying out assassinations, it is still carrying out sabotage and it is supported and harbored by them [the West].”

UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET

People from various walks of life are protesting in Iran, gathering to voice their economic woes and chanting slogans against the mullahs’ regime. The ruling dictatorship has constantly responded with escalating crackdowns, especially through a new surge of executions of inmates. Nearly 70 people have been sent to the gallows in less than two weeks, including at least 26 members of Iran’s Baluchi community. 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.

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Teacher Atekeh Rajabi Begins Hunger Strike in Detention

Atekeh Rajabi has embarked on a hunger strike within the confines of the detention center. Hailing from Mashhad, Atekeh Rajabi was a devoted teacher at Abu Zar Elementary School until her expulsion from the Khorasan Province’s Education Department on January 5, 2023, owing to her staunch support for the nationwide 2022 uprising. On Wednesday, May 10, 2023, she started a hunger strike at the Department of Intelligence detention center in Mashhad, where she was being held captive. Sajjad Rajabi, Atekeh’s brother, unveiled this solemn news through a heartfelt video: “Since yesterday, Atekeh has declared her resolve to abstain from sustenance. She steadfastly vows to forgo nourishment until her liberty is restored. Her unequivocal demand is freedom.”

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Zhina Modarres Gorji Transferred to General Ward After One Month in Solitary Confinement

Zhina Modarres Gorji, a journalist and prominent women’s rights activist from Sanandaj, was transferred from solitary confinement to the general ward of the Sanandaj Rehabilitation and Correction Center on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, after one month of detention. According to an informed source, during her transfer to the general ward, this journalist had a face-to-face meeting with her family for the first time during her recent period of detention. According to informed sources, on Monday, April 10, 2023, around 2 pm, Zhina Modarres Gorji was violently arrested by the Intelligence Department of Sanandaj agents and transferred to the city’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.

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The Disastrous State of Economic Transparency in Iran’s Regime: A Statistical Analysis

The Iranian regime is authoritarian and highly centralized, with the unelected Supreme Leader and his appointed institutions holding ultimate political and religious authority. The regime’s policies and practices show no respect for civil liberties, including freedom of expression and assembly. In terms of corruption, Iran is ranked poorly by various indices, including Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The regime is deeply corrupt, including in the industrial sector, with state-owned enterprises often operating in a non-transparent and non-accountable manner. This has led to a concentration of wealth and power among a small group of politically connected individuals, at the expense of broader societal interests. Corruption is also linked to a lack of transparency in government procurement, which favors politically connected businesses.

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Customs and Millions of Tons of Accumulated Goods in It!

While the Tasnim news agency had announced on February 4th, 2023, that there are 8 million tons of accumulated goods in the customs of Iran, the Commission of Principle 90 of the Iranian Parliament reduced this disaster under the title of “abandoned goods” to 1.5 million tons! Accumulated goods refer to goods that, for various reasons, have not had the opportunity to be declared at customs and cleared from there. The accumulation of goods in different countries is considered significant damage to their economies because it prevents the timely entry of goods when needed by the government or responsible organizations, and citizens cannot have access to essential goods when needed.

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Gothenburg, Sweden—May 8, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution

Gothenburg, Sweden—May 8, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. Supporters of the Iranian resistance strongly condemned the recent executions by the religious dictatorship regime of the mullahs in Iran, especially the execution of Baloch compatriots. They called for urgent action by the international community to stop the executions in Iran.

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Berlin and Southampton—May 9, 2023: MEK Supporters Held Exhibitions in Support of the Iran Revolution

Berlin and Southampton—May 9, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held exhibitions of the martyrs of the nationwide protests killed by the mullahs’ regime in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.

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Also, read Iran News in Brief – May 11, 2023

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