Iranian Hijab Rebels Whipped, Given Jail Term

“Every Iranian, whether opposition or not, worships him as a hero, “Markus Rosch told millions of viewers on Wednesday watching the popular ARD Tagesschau news program. Rosch’s comment about a man accused of fomenting bloodshed in the Middle East triggered widespread outrage on social media, prompting Rosch to walk back his statement.

Many Iranians view Soleimani as a destructive figure, labeling him a master terrorist, echoing the terminology used by the United States. Some critics argue that his primary focus was on developing Iran's regional proxy networks rather than addressing domestic concerns.

Rosch broadcasted his report following the terror attack at Soleimani’s gravesite in Iran this week.

Bomb explosions may have killed as many as 94 people and there remain conflicting reports about the perpetrators behind the mass murder in the city of Kerman.

Sheina Vojoudi, who fled the Islamic Republic of Iran to Germany to escape persecution, told Iran International “Statements like this disrespect thousands of innocent Iranian lives taken away by Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was responsible for the mass killing of the Iranian protesters in Bloody November 2019. One of the IRGC’s high ranking commanders confirmed Soleimani’s key role also in suppressing the protests in 1999 and 2009 with violence and thousands of Iranians were murdered, tens of thousands were arrested and tortured in the Islamic Republic’s prisons. “

Germany’s largest mass circulation paper, Bild, reported “The outrage is now having an impact on ARD correspondent Markus Rosch.” Bild wrote that Rosch wrote on X, “I apologize for this mistake. Soleimani is only worshiped as a hero by the Islamic Republic regime and its supporters.” It is unclear if ARD disciplined Rosch for his journalistic misconduct.

After rising anger on X, ARD published a correction on its website about Rosch’s false information.

Vojoudi, an associate fellow for the Gold Institute for International Strategy, said about the myth that the US and EU-designated terrorist, Soleimani, was beloved by Iranians. “This is the Islamic Republic’s propaganda and shockingly the western media help the Islamic regime to spread it. The Iranian people are the main victims of the Islamic Republic’s terrorism.”

She added “Soleimani was in competition with Ali Khamenei to gain the first place in killing the Iranian people and spreading terrorism in the whole region.”

Vojoudi went on to say that “The regime still kills Iranians in his name and recently the regime’s supporters started to identify the Iranian students who expressed their happiness on Soleimani’s death anniversary and started a campaign to share the identity, address and the name of the universities of the these students and promised them to arrest and torture them in prison.”

Behrouz Asadi, the head of the Democratic Forum of Iranians in Mainz, Germany also expressed shock about the ARD broadcast. He told Iran International, “It is shameful to call him a hero of the people.”

Soleimani “belongs to a regime that only has terror, arrest, torture and executions on its record. He belonged to the IRGC terrorist organization and is not a representative of the Iranian people,” said Asadi, an energetic campaigner against the Islamic Republic.

He added, “The regime tries to present him as a hero in the sense of a totalitarian regime. The majority of the people have a clear stance against him and the regime. He was instrumental in maintaining the regime. The people stood up several times for freedom and democracy and human rights. He and his perpetrators tried to nip every cry for democracy in the bud.”

Asadi said Soleimani “set up mercenaries abroad for terror. He was involved in Assad's stability through wars against the Syrian people. The Iranian people are fighting for peace and freedom.”

Mohammad Movahedi-Azad issued the stern warning to curb the dissemination of ideas or news that may be deemed contrary to the government's narrative.

"Given the necessity of taking decisive action against individuals who have disrupted the mental security of society by producing, disseminating, and republishing illegal content, it is essential for intelligence and security agencies to identify all involved parties and perpetrators and introduce them to the relevant judiciary."

Despite the warning, numerous individuals have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the government's perceived inadequate security measures leading to the deadly incident in Kerman. Critics argue that the failure to ensure the safety of public gatherings resulted in this deadly attack.

The bombing targeted a large public gathering commemorating Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, who was killed by a US drone strike in January 2020. Nearly 90 people were killed in the incident and 284 were injured.

Iranian dissidents view Soleimani as a controversial figure, labeling him a master terrorist, echoing the terminology used by the United States. Some critics argue that his primary focus was on developing Iran's regional proxy networks rather than addressing domestic concerns.

Questions are being asked about the veracity of the claim that ISIS was behind the twin bombings in Kerman. No one claimed responsibility for the attack for almost 30 hours, when reports appeared that ISIS (or Daesh) had issued a statement posted on the chat app Telegram. Immediately, many Iranians began to express doubt about the ISIS claim, convinced that the Islamic Republic itself was somehow responsible for one of the worst acts of violence against civilians.

In a Thursday statement, the international human rights organization urged individuals to appeal directly to Iran’s Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, urging him to "immediately stop any execution plans for Rasaei and overturn his conviction and death sentence."

The group also pointed out that international fair trial standards should be maintained in his case “without recourse to the death penalty and exclude 'confessions’ obtained under torture."

“I urge you to immediately grant Reza Rasaei access to his family, independently chosen lawyer, and adequate medical care," read part of the Amnesty’s model letter.

According to another report by the Amnesty, Rasaei underwent an "unfair trial" on October 7 in Kermanshah province, during which he was convicted of "murder" and subsequently sentenced to death, with his forced confessions tainted by torture serving as evidence.

Rasaei, hailing from Iran's marginalized Kurdish and Yarsan ethnic and religious minorities, faces accusations of "murder" in connection with the death of Nader Beirami, the head of intelligence in Sanandaj, during a protest in the city on November 17, 2022.

The Yarsan faith, also known as Ahl-e Haqq, is among the oldest Middle Eastern religious traditions, with an estimated three million followers in Iran, primarily in the western Kurdish regions, and an additional 120,000 to 150,000 in Iraq, known as Kaka'i.

Yarsan adherents have encountered various challenges, including difficulties in registering their children as Yarsan at birth, restrictions on constructing places of worship, and the constant fear of persecution for printing their holy book.

Information provided by the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, a Kurdish rights group, and the Human Rights Campaign of Iran discloses that Hamzeh-Zadeh, who endured "severe internal organ injuries due to beatings and mistreatment by authorities," died on Tuesday during surgery at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia after enduring 13 months of suffering.

Hamzeh-Zadeh, only 15 years old at the time, was detained during the 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests. He was subjected to torture for a week, resulting in severe internal organ injuries caused by beatings and mistreatment by the security agents.

According to an informed source close to his family, he lost both kidneys due to the intensity of the security forces' beatings, leading to physiological dysfunction. Over the past year, Hamzeh-Zadeh experienced unconsciousness multiple times, necessitating repeated medical attention.

A relative revealed that prior to his detention, he was in excellent physical and mental health, showing no signs of illness. However, following his release, he lost consciousness multiple times, directly attributed to the torture inflicted during detention.

Security authorities have reportedly pressured Hamzeh-Zadeh's family to withhold the news from the public. The incident follows the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022, sparking widespread protests across Iran. According to human rights sources, over 500 protesters, including numerous children, lost their lives during the subsequent crackdown.

Amid the ongoing human rights crisis, the Iranian authorities have not only failed to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities but have also intensified their oppression, detaining, summoning, or imprisoning family members of the victims. 

The bipartisan Mahsa Amini Human rights and Security Accountability Act (MAHSA Act) sanctions the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic, among others, for their role in human rights abuses.

It passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming majority in September 2023, but has not yet been marked up for a vote in the Senate.

Iranian-American activists –who have been chasing Cardin for months to no avail– say they will stage a peaceful protest at the senator’s office next week, hoping to highlight “the importance of holding the leaders of the Islamic Republic in Iran accountable.”

The MAHSA Act is named after a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was detained in September 2022 for not covering her hair as much as the authorities deem enough. She received fatal head injuries while in custody and died in hospital shortly after.

Her death sparked the most widespread anti-regime protests in decades. Across Iran, the security forces and plain clothed thugs attacked people, killing more than 550 and injuring thousands.

The MAHSA Act was first introduced to the US House of Representative in January 2023 and passed with broad bipartisan support.

It’s unclear why Senator Cardin is blocking the bill to go up for a full vote in the Senate. His stance seems in line, however, with the Biden administration’s Iran policy –which some critics have called “appeasement” in pursuit of some kind of nuclear agreement.