THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET
Wednesday Protests in Iran
On Wednesday, September 20, retired individuals associated with the Social Security of Shush, Khuzestan Province, held a protest in front of their city’s local parliamentary representative. They were expressing their dissatisfaction with the substandard living conditions and the insufficient response to their demands.
More photos of today's protest rally by retirees in Shush pic.twitter.com/7iCNNEDik2
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 20, 2023
Judge Conducts Interrogations and Issues New Judgments for Women Prisoners Post-Uprising
According to reports from inside Iran, following the women prisoners’ revolt in Qarchak Varamin Prison protesting the deplorable conditions and lack of responsiveness to the prisoners’ demands on September 16, some of these women have become subject to retrial and punishment.
According to the sources, the notorious Judge Mohammadreza Amouzad is stationed in this prison and is interrogating and issuing judgments for these women. There is no information available yet about the details of the judgments issued by Amouzad.
Other reports from Qarchak prison indicate that more than 350 new inmates were transferred to this prison on September 16, the anniversary of the 2022 uprising.
Presence of Iran’s President at U.N. Leads to Protests in NYC
On Tuesday, September 19, CBS News reported on the demonstrations by Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance in New York, protesting against Ebrahim Raisi’s presence and speech at the United Nations General Assembly. In an interview with CBS, Alireza Jafarzadeh, the Deputy Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in the United States stressed Raisi’s direct involvement in the mass execution of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 and the ongoing suppression of the Iranian people.
Outrage as Iran President Prepares To Address Un: ‘Wants To Kill American Citizens’
Soona Samsami, the representative in the U.S. for the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), whose organization has planned a large Tuesday protest, told Fox New Digital, “At a time when the Iranian people are courageously taking to the streets, demanding the overthrow of the ruling theocratic regime, it is shameful for [the] United Nations to offer its platform to Ebrahim Raisi, whose transgressions are punctuated by his role on the notorious ‘death commission,’ which executed 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 following a fatwa targeting supporters of the main Iranian opposition group, the MEK.”
Protesters Condemn Iran Prisoner Swap as Raisi Speaks To United Nations in New York
Protesters chanted slogans in New York outside the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday as both US President Joe Biden and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi were set to address the gathering of world leaders. While demonstrations against Iran and calls for the arrest of its leaders for violations of human rights law are not uncommon around the UN meetings in New York, the US government has long held the position that the visiting heads of various authoritarian regimes should be allowed to address the UN without fear of arrest by US law enforcement. The president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Maryam Rajavi, said in a statement that the UN’s member-states should accept the view that Iran’s government is illegitimate, and recognise the right of protesters within the country to topple it.
Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, US Urge Iran to Fully Cooperate With IAEA
CAIRO, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the U.S. renewed calls for Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the countries said in a joint statement.
The statement came after a meeting of the GCC Arab foreign ministers, the U.S. Secretary of State and GCC Secretary-General in New York.
Iran barred multiple International IAEA’s inspectors assigned to oversee Tehran’s atomic activities in a move described by the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi, as “disproportionate and unprecedented.”
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Maryam Rajavi’s Message to the Iranian Demonstration in New York
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s speech: “Fellow compatriots, and courageous supporters of the Iranian Resistance. Distinguished dignitaries and honorable friends of the Iranian Resistance in the United States.
In unison and in step with you and the arisen people all over Iran, we send our warmest greetings to the architects of the uprisings. We salute all the women and men who protested and staged strikes on the anniversary of the 2022-2023 uprising. We salute the brave young people who paid the price of arrest and imprisonment and also salute the protesting teenagers and youths martyred after being shot by the criminals under Khamenei’s command.
Resistance Units Mark the Anniversary of Iran’s 2022 Uprising
On the anniversary of Iran’s uprising, while the regime had taken extreme measures to prevent any kind of protest rally, the brave Resistance Units carried out anti-regime activities in dozens of cities to keep the flame of the uprising alive. Resistance Units are a network of PMOI activists inside Iran. They have played a major role in organizing protests and preventing the regime from establishing an environment of fear. The Resistance Units made their presence felt in more than 40 cities. On September 15, the eve of the anniversary of the uprising, Resistance Units in Zahedan, southeast Iran, carried out anti-regime activities. One of the Resistance Unit members held a placard that read, “We will not compromise with the mullahs or the shah on the blood of martyrs of Zahedan’s bloody Friday.” During the bloody Friday, which happened on Friday, September 30, 2022, security forces in Zahedan opened fire on peaceful protesters in Zahedan, killing more than 100 people, including more than a dozen children.
One Year After the Uprising: Iran’s Democratic Revolution Marches On
It has been one year since the historic uprising of 2022 shook Iran to its core. What started as women bravely protesting oppressive hijab laws quickly grew into a nationwide call for freedom and democracy. While the regime brutally cracked down on protests, killing hundreds, the spirit of the uprising could not be extinguished. Today, the flames of revolution continue to burn brighter than ever within Iranian society. Fueled by worsening economic conditions, rampant corruption, and human rights abuses, the Iranian people’s desire for democratic change has only intensified over the past year. Their vision remains clear—to overcome four decades of dictatorship and establish a democratic republic. The conditions that sparked the 2022 protests have deteriorated significantly. Runaway inflation has pushed the price of basic goods like food and medicine out of reach for many Iranians.
Where Is Yekta Dodangeh, the 14-Year-Old Teenager?
On the evening of Saturday, September 16, 2023, Yekta Dodangeh, a 14-year-old teenager residing in Tehran, was detained by government forces on the first anniversary of the passing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini. Currently, there is still no information available about her fate. According to the report received by Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM), Yekta Dodangeh was detained in Tehran on September 16, after being pursued and chased by government forces. Her family remains unaware of her fate. Yekta was arrested near Azadi Square. In a brief phone call with his family, she said, “The authorities are after me, but I managed to escape.” This was Yekta’s last contact, after which her phone has been inaccessible. Since Yekta Dodangeh’s arrest, this teenager has had no further communication.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – September 19, 2023