THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, October 24, gatherings of retirees from the Social Security and National Pension Organization once again assembled in protest against poor living conditions and the non-realization of their demands. These gatherings took place in Kermanshah, Hamedan, Sanandaj, and Ahvaz, in front of the governor’s office building.
October 24—Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally as the regime continues to ignore their demands for higher pensions and other basic needs.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/P06snHp2Ln— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 24, 2023
More footage of today's protest rally by retired government employees in Kermanshah.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/OHfdymzC8P
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 24, 2023
October 24—Sanandaj, western #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally in front of the provincial office of the Government Retirement Fund, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/2wgL6rRuTa— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 24, 2023
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET
US Congressman Kevin McCarthy Calls on Biden Administration to Confront Iranian Regime
In an interview on October 21, Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker of the United States Congress, stressed the importance of facing the clerical dictatorship in Iran.
He told MSNBC News, “The U.S. government must change its policies. When the current administration took office, Iran only had $4 billion in foreign exchange. Now, they have $70 billion. Iran only produced 400,000 barrels of oil per day when Biden took office. They now produce three million. They’re getting billions of dollars to fund terrorism around the world and you cannot stop Hamas and you cannot get American hostages back without confronting Iran. They cannot make the same mistake they did in Afghanistan.”
Iranian-backed Proxy Groups Have Increased Attacks Against US Personnel, John Kirby Says
At the White House press briefing on October 23, United States NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said, “Over the course of the last few days, we have seen an uptick in rocket and drone attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups against military bases housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. And we’re deeply concerned about the potential for any significant escalation of these attacks in the days ahead. At the direction of President Biden, the Secretary of Defense has ordered the military to take steps to prepare for this to ensure that we’re postured appropriately, both in terms of being able to defend our forces and respond decisively as needed. The Secretary of Defense has directed two carrier strike groups to the region, and we are now sending more air defenses to U.S. air bases in the region. Now, we know these groups are supported by the IRGC and their regime. We know Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah. And we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran. We know Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of deniability here, but we’re not going to allow them to do that. We also are not going to allow any threat to our interests in the region to go unchallenged. We demonstrated last week that we have and will use the military capabilities available to us to protect and defend those interests. And those capabilities are getting bigger and better every day.”
NCRI Women’s Committee Condemns Prison Sentences Issued for Two Innocent Female Journalists in Iran
Thirteen months after the imprisonment of the two journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, the clerical regime’s judiciary has pronounced judgment against them for reporting the murder and burial ceremony of Jina Amini.
The notorious Judge Abolghassem Salavati sentenced Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi to 13 and 12 years imprisonment respectively, including 7 and 6 years of imprisonment, on the absurd charge of “collaborating with the hostile US government.”
The NCRI Women’s Committee, stressing the need for the immediate release of these two innocent female journalists, calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and the Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression to condemn these sentences handed down by the misogynist regime’s judiciary in Iran. It also calls on them to take urgent measures for the immediate release of the said journalists and other imprisoned journalists in Iran.
Heavy Sentences Against Journalists; Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi Were Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
After 396 days of waiting, right on the birthday of Niloufar Hamedi, the Revolutionary Court announced the verdict of the preliminary trial of Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi. Elaheh Mohammadi, a journalist of Ham Mihan newspaper and Niloufar Hamidi, a journalist of Sharq newspaper in Tehran, who both prepared a report on the death of Jina Amini, were sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Iranian judicial system. The two political prisoners are currently in Evin prison. According to the report received by the Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM), Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court headed by Abolghasem Salavati, Niloufar Hamedi was sentenced to 7 years in prison on the charge of “collaboration with the hostile government of America.” She was sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “gathering and colluding against the security of the country,” and sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of propaganda against the Iranian regime. In total, Niloufar has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
A Disturbing Escalation of Arrests and Executions in Iran
The human rights situation in Iran has taken a deeply troubling turn in recent years, marked by a significant increase in arrests and executions. The escalating crackdown on dissent and the surging number of executions are showing no mercy. Political activists, journalists, religious minorities, and individuals exercising their right to free speech have increasingly become targets of imprisonment, often without fair trials or legal representation. This surge in arrests is part of a broader effort to silence opposition and suppress civil liberties. Moreover, Iran’s use of capital punishment has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, as the country has one of the highest execution rates per capita in the world.
17 Women Executed in Iran in 2023, the Last One in the Central Prison of Isfahan
The Iranian Judiciary has executed another woman. The identity of the woman executed in the Central Prison of Isfahan on Saturday, October 21, 2023, has not been obtained at the time of writing.
The woman, originally from Daran County, had been detained in Dowlatabad Prison. She was transferred to the Central Prison of Isfahan, also known as Dastgerd Prison, for execution. She was hanged at dawn on Saturday morning, October 21, 2023, along with a Baluch man named, Davoud Jalali.
This woman is the 220th woman to be executed in Iran since 2007, and the 17th woman executed in 2023, so far, according to the data compiled by the NCRI Women’s Committee.
Death of Armita Geravand; Brain Death Finalized
The state media in Iran announced the death of Armita Geravand on Sunday, October 22, 2023. After 21 days of doing nothing and keeping the young innocent woman just connected to medical devices, the Iranian regime’s media finally announced the death of Armita Geravand. The devices were disconnected from her at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 22, and she was transferred to the morgue. Her family has been told to be prepared for her burial. Intelligence services are putting pressure on her family with regard to the place of burial.
Iran Multi-pronged Education Crisis And Its Destructive Effects
The Statistical Center of Iran, in its “Report on the Social and Cultural Situation of Iran, Spring 2023,” announced that in the academic year 2022-2023, over 556,000 children between the ages of 15 and 17 dropped out of high school, including 295,000 boys and 261,000 girls. This statistic does not include those who have dropped out of high school altogether. Economic deprivation and poverty are the main reasons for this situation.
Furthermore, according to the statement by Masoumeh Najafi Pazuki, the Deputy of Elementary Education at the regime’s Ministry of Education, in the current year, 160,000 individuals have not registered for elementary school and have remained out of education. Although she claims that this figure has remained constant over the past five years, the statistical report indicates an increasing trend.
Turku, Finland—October 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
Toronto—October 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Oct 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held Rallies in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution in Berlin & Hamburg
Gothenburg, Sweden—October 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
The Hague—October 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iranian Revolution
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 23, 2023
