NCRI

Iran News in Brief – September 17, 2023

Sedighe Shahrokhi

iranian resistance rally 15092023 (1)

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET

Escalating Protests Across Iran on 2022 Uprising Anniversary

In a show of courage and determination, the youth of Hamedan took to the streets on Sunday, September 17, marking the anniversary of a nationwide uprising in Iran. The demonstrations kicked off in District 13, Buali Bala, with fervent protestors clashing with oppressive forces loyal to the Khamenei regime. The courageous youth chanted powerful slogans, echoing their demand for justice and holding those responsible for their grievances accountable. A prevailing chant amongst the demonstrators was, “I will kill those who killed my sister.”

In another distressing development, families of the detainees from the September 16 protests faced harsh treatment when seeking answers about their loved ones. Today, on September 17, they went to the Relief and Rescue Unit Headquarters in Tehran, hoping to learn about the fate of those detained during the demonstrations. Shockingly, instead of receiving the information they sought, they were met with violence and assault.

Meanwhile, the frustration over economic hardships continues to escalate. Today, retirees and pensioners who were supposed to receive their wages from the Social Security Fund in Kermanshah staged yet another protest, expressing their discontent with their living conditions and the lack of attention to their demands.

UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET

Protests, Clashes, and Nighttime Slogans Across Dozens of Cities in Iran

Last night, people in various parts of the country, including Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Junqan, Arak, Hamedan, Rasht, Mohammadshahr in Alborz Province, Sabzevar, Lahijan, Dehdasht in Kohgiluyeh and Buyerahmad Province, and various districts of Tehran, took to the streets despite suppressive measures and the security forces being put on high alert. They chanted slogans like “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei” and held protests, clashing with authorities in certain areas.

In different parts of Kermanshah, despite security forces firing life ammunition, people clashed with suppressive forces, and skirmishes continued in the streets of this city.

In some cities such as Sanandaj, Zahedan, and Juneqan, rebellious youth blocked the roads by lighting fires and chanting slogans.

Furthermore, in various areas of Tehran, people shouted slogans, calling for regime change.

Chairman Menendez Statement on One Year Anniversary of Murder of Mahsa Amini

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued this statement marking one year since the beating and murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian regime.

“Today marks one year since the brutal beating and murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the regime in Tehran and its thuggish enforcers. Her death was, and remains, a tragedy – and her murderers’ names will be forever written in the blackest pages of history.

“But rather than let her death be the final word, the Iranian people stood up and showed the world true courage. From Tehran to Mahabad to Isfahan, Iranian women and men took to the streets marching for their fellow citizens, for their lives, and for their freedom — they protested across more than 133 cities, and throughout every province.

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Iran’s President Isn’t Telling the Truth About Its Economy

For more than four decades the Iranian regime has mastered the art of lies and deception. But now they have a leader who has taken duplicity to a new level. In an address to a press conference at the end of August, Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian president, assured 85 million hungry and impoverished Iranians that the nation’s economy is booming. Raisi, dubbed ‘The Butcher of Tehran’ for his notorious role as an executioner, boasted that economic indicators have grown and progressed in all fields. He claimed that inflation was plummeting and unemployment had fallen to 8.2%. President Raisi’s assertions appear to have been undermined by his own state-controlled media. The state-run Etemad newspaper reported soaring inflation for basic foodstuffs including poultry up by 203%, meat by 318%, cooking oil by 328%, pasta by 283%, sugar by 253%, yogurt by 307%, and eggs by 161%. Even applying tampered statistics utilized by the government, the current rate of inflation in Iran is 39.8%, while unemployment has risen to 9.7%, with youth unemployment at 16.2%.

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UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET

Iran Marks the First Anniversary of the 2022 Nationwide Uprising

September 16 marks the first anniversary of Iran’s 2022 nationwide uprising, which began after the regime’s security forces murdered Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman. People are holding protest rallies and strikes despite severe security measures by the regime.

In Mashhad, a group of people held a peaceful protest rally in Ahmad Abad but were attacked by the regime’s security forces. A motorcade of repressive forces attacked the protesters and shots were heard.

In Tehran, passengers on a BTR bus started chanting anti-regime slogans. The protesters were shouting, “Mullahs must get lost!” This is happening despite the heavy presence of security forces across the capital.

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The Iranian Regime’s Hostage-Taking Policy Claims Another Victim

Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat and European Union official, began his tenure with the European Commission in 2019, initially serving as an aide to the then-incumbent European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Yiva Johansson. Two years later, he transitioned to the European External Action Service.

However, on September 4, 2023, a startling report by The New York Times disclosed that Floderus had been apprehended by Iranian authorities at Tehran International Airport in April 2022, during a holiday visit to the country. Shockingly, he has remained incarcerated at Evin Prison since then. His abduction, a grim facet of the Iranian regime’s blackmail strategy, had remained a well-guarded secret until now.

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Violent Attack on Women Detained in Qarchak Prison, 20 Injured

These incarcerated women held in an all-female prison, had gathered to commemorate the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and to protest against the inhuman conditions prevailing within the prison. Tragically, their peaceful demands were met with a vicious and unprovoked raid by prison guards. The guards callously fired pellet guns at the protesting women, leading to the injury of at least 20 individuals, while a significant number of prisoners suffered harm due to the blows inflicted by the guards.

In the wake of this horrific attack, numerous inmates were subjected to beatings, forcibly removed from the general ward, and placed in solitary confinement. The situation escalated to the point where parts of the prison caught fire, subsequently spreading to several other wards. It is crucial to note that Qarchak Prison is situated in an isolated area, rendering it extremely challenging for incarcerated women to reach out for help.

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Opposition Leader: All Signs Point to the End of the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran

Addressing thousands of representatives of the Iranian diaspora in Europe, the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi said on Friday that all signs point to the end of the ruling theocracy. Rajavi was addressing a major conference in Brussels on Friday on the eve of the first anniversary of the Iranian people’s uprising that began after the tragic death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini. According to Rajavi, the uprising highlighted the potential for the regime’s downfall and has put the Iranian people on the cusp of a new era in their history, backed by four decades of organized resistance.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, former Colombian presidential candidate and former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, former German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, and former French Foreign Minister Michèle Alliot Marie were among the international dignitaries who participated in the summit organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition headed by Iran’s leading domestic opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

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IAEA Chief Grossi Condemns Iran’s ‘Unprecedented’ Barring of Inspectors

VIENNA, Sept 16 (Reuters) – U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday condemned Iran’s “disproportionate and unprecedented” move to bar multiple inspectors assigned to the country, hindering its oversight of Tehran’s atomic activities.

Iran’s move is a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France, and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors this week for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

“I strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure which affects the normal planning and conduct of agency verification activities in Iran and openly contradicts the cooperation that should exist between the agency and Iran,” he said in a statement.

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Also, read Iran News in Brief – September 16, 2023

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