Islamic Republic Steps Up Military Crackdown In Kurdish Cities

In a decision of the cabinet on Sunday, Alireza Fakhari, Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander was appointed governor of Tehran province.

Fakhari was suggested by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who is another high-ranking IRGC officer.

Raisi’s move in effect changed the civilian governorship in Tehran into a military governorship.

Alireza Fakhari was the deputy coordinator of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter of the IRGC until earlier this year.

Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter is the IRGC's major engineering arm and one of Iran's largest contractors in industrial and development projects. Khatam al-Anbiya was created during the 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War to help rebuild the country and has diversified over the years into companies dealing with mechanical engineering, energy, mining, and defense.

Alireza Fakhari replaced Mohsen Mansouri who has been appointed executive vice president.

The appointment of a military commander amid the daily protests of capital residents may mean more crackdown on demonstrators. Raisi has filled many civilian posts with IRGC officers.

The policy of hardline supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, backed by IRGC, in pushing many other loyal regime elements to the margins of politics has opened more vistas for Revolutionary Guard officers. The military force already is perhaps the biggest economic player in Iran with hundreds of companies in all sectors.

At least three presenters have resigned in the past few days. Farhad Fakhrbakhsh, who hosted a show about programs of the Islamic Republic’s broadcaster for over four years, announced his resignation on Saturday. 

In a video message published on Instagram, he said entertainment activities need peace of mind that no Iranian has at the moment, adding that "the people of Iran are not in a good mood these days."

Kimia Gilani is another host that resigned after bursting into tears on live television when she was talking about Kian Pirfalak, the 10-year-old boy who was killed by security forces who fired at his family car in the city of Izeh in Khuzestan province this week. 

Davoud Abedi, a sport reporter who resigned in recent days, is well-known for his energetic presentations. In a message, he said that these days that people are dying on streets and he cannot fake a happy or energetic tone. 

Barbod Babai, Mojtaba Pourbakhsh, Peyman Sheikhi, Majid Ghazanfari are among other presenters that have left the state TV since mid-September in support of the protests.

TV football (soccer) commentator and producer Adel Ferdosipour -- one of the most popular public figures in Iran -- rejected the offer by the state broadcaster to do the commentaries on FIFA World Cup 2022, in support of "bereaved Iranians." He was banned and dismissed by the IRIB in 2019 reportedly over pressure by the Revolutionary Guards, but was asked to come back for the World Cup. 

Iran’s state broadcaster was not very popular even before the current wave of protests began, but its popularity has declined dramatically in the past two months because it serves as the main mouthpiece of government propaganda that dismisses the protesters as “rioters.” 

In October, ‘reformist’ commentator Abbas Abdi said what the state-run television broadcasts is “sheer propaganda." Ironically, when hackers interrupted the state TV news program October 8, playing a short clip, most Iranians found out about it through social media or on foreign-based satellite TV because few were watching the state TV.

IRIB’s penchant for one-sided news has deeply annoyed viewers who currently get their news from social media and Persian-speaking satellite TV channels based in Europe and the United States. The viewers no longer trust the media that belongs to and echoes the voice of a government they have ceased to trust for the same reason: Unilateralism, and justifying the government's often wrong measures and its police brutality in the streets.

This week, the United States designated six leading employees of IRIB. The US first designated IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) in 2013, and in 2018 reimposed the move in what then Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said was a part of “the maximum pressure exerted by the United States” after withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement.

In a message attributed to workers of the state broadcaster published on social media in recent days, it is claimed that most of the employees of the IRIB support the antigovernment protests and will help the people in case it falls into the hands of protesters. The message also provided directions on how people can take over the IRIB. 

Protesters have so far almost completely ignored President Ebrahim Raisi -- whose government has failed to deliver on most of his campaign promises including improvement of people’s livelihoods. They are not asking the president to improve the economy or build public housing. The slogans they chant in the streets, in universities, and from their windows and rooftops are addressed to someone else.

Often containing derogatory expressions and profanities, protesters chant against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei whom they hold responsible for all their grievances including Raisi’s presidency.

Protests have intensified and become more frequent in most major cities, spreading to smaller towns across the country, even to some remote and generally quiet areas. This is a sign that what is taking place resembles more a revolution than demand for reforms.

Anti-government protests in many small cities and towns, often considered traditional and conservative, where everyone knows everyone else, were very rare if not non-existent in the past but the recent protests seem to show that people in these places have overcome their fear of retribution from the establishment and probably consider the days of the Islamic Republic numbered.

Protesters in Tehran chant, "Our target is the whole regime"

Reports of extensive protests in Murmuri, a small town of less than 4,000 in Ilam Province and Evaz, a town of 14,000 in Fars Province, for instance, surprised many Iranians who had not even heard the names of these places before. Videos posted on social media November 15 showed a large crowd of men and women, who had flouted their hijab, chanting together “Mullah should be banished!” in Evaz. In Abadeh, a town of around 50,000 last week they chanted “This is the last message: Our target is [to topple] the whole system!”.

The Islamic Republic, and its leadership, have nearly wiped out all opposition political groups including those who never wanted anything more than reforms, hugely limited the media, and even marginalized many insiders such as former presidents -- reformist Mohammad Khatami, hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and moderate Hassan Rouhani – and former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, a conservative.

Nevertheless, for protesters, these former regime insiders, including Khatami who was once the most popular political figure in Iran, are not an alternative. The situation has led many to look outside Iran, among the diaspora, for figures who could at least lead the period of transition to a secular, democratic system.

Several names have been suggested as leaders or members of an interim government in the post-Islamic Republic era by both protesters in Iran and the huge diaspora that has supported the movement with regular weekly rallies in major world cities.

These include the former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, activists Masih Alinejad, Hamed Esmaeilion, Nazanin Bonyadi, and footballer Ali Karimi all of whom live abroad. There are also other possible candidates, such as Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, but no one currently residing in Iran.

Thousands of people inside and outside the country, have used social media to call on these figures, whose political views are diverse, to form a coalition to lead the revolution. The hashtag “FormCoalition” created to reflect this wish is quickly gaining popularity.

“There’s no ideology behind this revolution. I think we will go to the end this time... The difference [with previous protests] is that there is great hope this time, the hope that the end of the Islamic Republic has come,” said Canada-based Esmaeilion at the Halifax International Security Forum Saturday which several others including Alinejad and Bonyadi also attended.

In a statement on Saturday, ISFA slammed the killing of Kian Pirfalak, the 10-year-old boy who was killed by security forces who fired at his family car in the city of Izeh, adding that “From now on, we will live and work in reality and stand where the dear people of Iran stand.”

ISFA also condemned “many redlines” by the Islamic Republic in filmmaking such as “infanticide”, adding that this time children are killed not in the movies but in a very horrifying way on streets.

Since the uprising, at least 47 children have been killed by security forces, with Kian Pirfalak killing as one of the most shocking incidents that aroused strong public anger.

The production of any short or feature film in the Islamic Republic requires a license from the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, but the Short Film Association has stated that “from now on, retaining rights and expression of opinion does not need any license except the will of the nation.”

More than two months since the beginning of nationwide protests, the government is still heavily suppressing demonstrators. So far, nearly 400 people have been killed including women and children. As the number rapidly rises, the Islamic Republic refuses to accept responsibility and attributes the killings to terrorist and foreign groups.

The mourning ceremonies for two protesters who were killed in recent days in Mahabad, a small Kurdish-majority city in West Azarbaijan province, turned into fierce protests throughout the day and by night the whole city was in control of the protesters. 

Incessant gunshots were heard in videos from Mahabad as the Internet and power were shut down in parts of the city while regime forces kept shooting and breaking windows of people's homes.

According to footage published on social media, the streets of Mahabad are packed with military vehicles, and the situation in the city is so tense that it seems martial law has been declared. In one of the incidents, a large gathering was held by the city’s authorities in which people were told the governor would deliver a speech, but security forces opened fire at the crowd. The number of casualties from the city remains unknown. 

Many people on social media have called for support for the people of Mahabad. Iranian football legend Ali Karimi, a key supporter of the popular uprising, called on Iranians to immediately help Mahabad amid fears of a massacre. "Shame on you for deploying tanks to crack down on people who are emty-handed," Karimi tweeted.

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), issued a statement on Sunday condemning the indiscriminate crackdown on residents of Kurdish cities and towns. PDKI, which is banned in Iran as an anti-government group, is based in the Iraqi Kurdistan.

“Saturday evening, November 19, the Iranian regime appears to have imposed martial laws in the Kurdish city of Mahabad. Iran's terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly entered Mahabad with heavy military weapons and equipment... The lives of many people are in danger.” read the statement. 

The party also called on the international community and human rights organizations to not remain silent over “the massacre of the Kurdish people,” noting that the silence of the international community will further embolden the regime to target innocent people and demonstrators.

German member of European Parliament Hannah Neumann also tweeted in support of the residents of the city. “Gun shots. Civilians screaming. Electricity turned off. Limited internet access. The regime kills in darkness. We need to put the spotlight on what happens,” she said. 

People in other cities of the province, including Boukan (Bukan), Khoy, Piranshahr, and Oshnavieh, also poured into streets to express support for the people of Mahabad. 

Iranians have been holding daily demonstrations for more than two months but the protests were mainly in big cities. In recent days small towns have also become scenes of unrest as mourning ceremonies for fellow residents happen to morph into protest rallies. 

In addition to pockets of protests in large cities, Marivan and Divandarreh in Kodestan province, Malekan in East Azarbaijan province, Mahallat and Saveh in Markazi, Golpayegan in Esfahan, Paveh in Kermanshah, and many more are the scenes of protests on Sunday. 

As people are protesting across the country, large numbers of expatriate Iranians in diaspora communities held rallies in support of the protests in over 100 cities on Saturday.