Famous Jailed Dissident Lashes Out At Iran’s Rulers
Mohammad Nourizad, a writer and political prisoner says the Islamic Republic has killed 200 people just to prove it did not kill Mahsa Amini over her hijab.
Mohammad Nourizad, a writer and political prisoner says the Islamic Republic has killed 200 people just to prove it did not kill Mahsa Amini over her hijab.
In response to a call by head of Iran's Judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i for dialog with protesters, Nourizad sent in Tehran saying that he is ready for dialog.
In this file, which is circulating on social media, the Iranian journalist has lashed out at Mohseni-Eje'i telling him that he is not fit to tell the protesters “Let’s sit down and talk and you can talk freely without going to jail.” Nourizad probably meant that the head of Judiciary is not the real decision maker, or that he is responsible for the brutal treatment of protesters.
Addressing regime’s President Ebrahim Raisi he made fun of his elementary school education level, saying that “a six-grader in the position of presidency is a big blow to elitism.”
“I swear to God that I am negotiating,” he said and added that the cleric, who has studied nothing but Arabic grammar, does not know anything about “human in society, generational society, the international community, interaction with others, and interaction using wisdom!”
This political prisoner also asked Iran’s intelligence ministry, the IRGC, and plainclothes agents to consider his message as a small protest and not to attack him.
In another part of his message Nourizad addressed the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warning that “a vast majority of people don’t want Mullahs (clerics). They don’t want Revolutionary Guard commanders. They don’t want brutal Basijis [paramilitary volunteer militia]. Believe this.”
Emphasizing that he is having a dialog and he’s not a separatist or a rioter, Nourizad also talked about the riot at Evin prison October 15, saying that “Shots were fired, RPGs were fired, Kalashnikov volleys were fired right over my head and around me. Do not insult people's intelligence, do not say that some people died due to smoke inhalation.”
“We saw blood and dead bodies in Evin. You call them criminals? We accept it, but they were human! Evin prison unrest could have been controlled with tear gas, not with live rounds, not with machine guns, not with RPGs!” he underlined.
A large fire spread in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison Saturday evening as gunshots and blasts were heard. At least eight inmates were killed, and tens of others were injured in the massive blaze.
Some journalists and people on social media accused the Islamic Republic of setting the prison on fire intentionally.
There is no chance in Iran for any independent investigation as to how the blaze started and exactly how many prisoners were killed. The Judiciary is a political institution fully at the service of the ruling elite, directly under Khamenei's control.
Mohammad Nourizad signed a petition along with fourteen other dissidents in June 2019 demanding Khamenei’s resignation. The signatories were all arrested, and eight individuals were tried in a court without due process of law. They were sentenced to a total of 72 years in prison by in February.
Evin prison is home to many political prisoners, opposition figures, dual nationals, elites, and thinkers who just expressed their opinions and wanted to have dialog with the regime.
Family members of a young protester, Mohammad Rasoul Momeni Rad, who was shot to death by security forces from a one-meter distance in the northern city of Rasht on September 21, say the agents beat him severely even after he was shot.
In an exclusive interview with Iran International they said his dead body was handed over for burial to his family only on the condition they keep silent regarding the details of his death.
His brother, Amir, who was with him in the protest, told Iran International that he and his brother were running from the security forces when regime agents shot Mohammad Rasoul from a one-meter distance.
“The two officers on a motorcycle beat the two of us with a baton and punched and kicked us after the shooting,” he added.
He noted that while his brother was bleeding severely the agents continued to beat them and finally ran away on their motorbike.
The victim’s mother also said the plainclothesmen did not even allow her to see the dead body of her son at the hospital.
“Why did you kill my child with a gun from a meter away? What had he done? What should I do so that our right would not be trampled upon? I was not even allowed to see and kiss my own child,” she cried out.
Referring to the large presence of plainclothesmen at the funeral and other events, the mother said she had to remain silent during the funeral for the safety of her other children.
“I seek justice and I will not let my son die in vain,” she emphasized.
Mohammad Rasoul’s brother also added that the Forensic Medicine Organization falsely reported his brother had a liver injury. He said the bullet hit his brother in the armpit and his lower ribcage was torn apart.
According to a document received by Iran International, in this report, “being hit by high-speed metal pellets” has been announced as the cause of death.
On Thursday, a regime insider and the deputy of Basij organization said about 70 percent of people arrested during protests are less than 20 years old.
Earlier this week, a photo by a female protester showed the extent of the brutality of Khamenei agents in dealing with demonstrators.
In this photo of a woman from the city of Saqqez in the western Kurdistan province at least 150 birdshot pellets could be seen.
With respect to the size of her wounds, it seems to be a birdshot cartridge that contains 77 pellets. She was shot at least two times by a semi-automatic shotgun.
Shells containing birdshot pellets have multiple projectiles of varying sizes instead of just one slug or 9 pellets for large animals. They are devised for hunting small animals and birds, however, if fired at close targets they could kill people. Birdshot pellets can easily blind people if fired toward the face, as has happened to many Iranian protesters over the years.
He added that "There is only a brief window of opportunity for the government to control the ongoing uprising, and If the government refuses to listen to them it will face an uncertain and disappointing future."
In his interview with the reformist daily Mostaghel [Independent], Mandegari, like many other Iranian pundits, reminded the government that "Even if the current wave of protests in Iran recedes temporarily, it will flare up again at another time like a fire under the ashes."
Explaining the structure of uprising, Mandegari said: "This is a movement which is born and spread in a web of social networks. Unlike previous uprisings and revolutions, it has a horizontal structure which reduces the need to a strong leadership."
He said that it would be simplistic to think that this movement is about hijab. The story of Mahsa Amini, the young woman who died in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police was simply a trigger for the movement, and not its cause. "This movement is the outcome of an accumulated anger caused by poverty, as well as organized discrimination and humiliation. The number of Iranians living under the poverty line has redoubled during the past three years so that more than 70 percent of Iranians are currently living under the poverty line," Mandegari said.
He added that the gap between the people and state officials has never been wider. The people feel that the officials see them as second grade citizens who are constantly ignored. Meanwhile, recent political developments such as the 2020 Majles election and 2021 Presidential election led people to believe that it is no longer possible to bring about any change in Iran through ballot boxes. This led to a deep disappointment.
In another development, Ahmad Bokharaei, the head of the Iranian Sociological Society told Rouydad24 new website that protesters are not coming into the streets just to reject government’s policy of forced hijab. There is always a web of issues that drives Iran’s protest movements.
The sociologist, cautious in how he framed his argument, seemed to be referring to both economic dissatisfaction as well as to the people’s frustration with lack of social freedoms. Bokharaei also attributed the current protests to the government's inefficacy in various areas. The combination of economic crisis, corruption, mismanagement and draconian laws together have exhausted people’s patience.
Bokharaei added that "Those who reduce the uprising to the issue of hijab, have political interest in saying so. When you look at the people in the streets of the affluent Valiasr Avenue in Tehran or low-income Iranians living in Eslam Shahr or Shahryar you will notice that as you move toward the margins of the big city you will find out that the economic reason for revolt is more prominent."
However, Bokharaei probably deliberately ignored violations of human rights by the Iranian government as one of the causes of the ongoing uprising. Another reason, as pointed out by some media outlets such as Aftab News, is that while Iranian officials for years praised the youth and school children of the 1970s for taking part in the 1979 revolution in Iran, they now hypocritically look down at youngsters and say school children should not take to the streets in protest as they are too young to understand what is good and what is bad for society.