Eye on Iran's Protests - October 13, 2022

A protest movement is sweeping Iran in the aftermath of the killing of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the so-called “morality police.” UANI’s Eye on Iran's Protests is a daily news and events round-up to increase awareness of this movement and the regime’s brutal response. Now is the time to support the Iranian people.

Iran Intensifies Crackdown On Kurdish Areas As Protests Rage | Reuters
The regime deployed the Basij militia – a paramilitary organization within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – to escalate its bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters in the Kurdistan region last night. The province – where Mahsa Amini is from – is now a central focus of the regime’s crackdown. Seven protesters were reportedly killed in Kurdish areas last night alone. 

Oil, Petrochemical Workers’ Strikes Continue Amid Crackdown, Arrests | Iran International
Worker strikes in the southern oil-rich provinces of Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan continued into their fourth day. Dozens have been arrested. Many more have been threatened with losing their job. A union released a statement today saying that 30 of its colleagues had been detained, and encouraging more strikes as a response to the government’s crackdown. Protesters also reportedly blocked roads linking to oil and petrochemical plants in southern Iran to prevent security forces from moving toward the strike hotspots. Meanwhile, the government internet blackout continues, making it more difficult for news of the strikes to travel to other plants.  

Iran’s Women Brave Extraordinary Risks to Protest | Wall Street Journal
This Wall Street Journal article gives a harrowing account of run-ins with the Iranian security forces and the risks Iranians take every time they go out to protest. On one occasion, a 23-year-old girl was shot in the face with pellets because she was not wearing her hijab. In another, a protester spent a night in a communal jail with 32 other women. Despite the brutality, women – especially young women – continue to lead the current protest movement, feeling so much pent-up anger with the restrictions that they face. The supreme leader and other hardliners in the government of Iran have yet to acknowledge the central role of women and their grievances, instead blaming foreigners. The “staying power” of the protests appears to rest – at least in part – on women’s willingness to continue to brave the violence and harassment of Iran’s police and security forces.  

Iran President Accuses US Of 'Destabilization' Amid Protests | Associated Press
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi again accused the U.S of being behind the unrest in Iran. He said that the U.S. has failed to conduct a “policy of destabilization” in Iran.

A large group of female students walked the streets.

School girls walked the streets unveiled, risking their lives in pursuit of their freedom.

Protesters chanted thunderously on the streets of Ahvaz.

In Ilam, southwestern Iran, protesters chanted “Don’t be afraid! We’re all together!”

Large angry crowds shouted “Down with Khamenei” in Tehran last night.

Protesters chanted “Women, Life, Freedom!” in Bukan last night.

Activists torched a billboard with the face of Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Slogans of the protest movement, such as “Death to Khamenei,” appeared on large billboard signs.

Virtually every shop seen in this drive-by footage of Kerman city is closed down in support of the protest movement.

Iran Top Judge Orders Harsh Sentences For ‘Main Riot Elements’ | Al Jazeera
Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei ordered his judges to issue harsh sentences for the “main elements of the riots.”

Iran Protests: Arrests Of School Children Prompt Grave Fears Of More Child Killings | Center For Human Rights In Iran
Children are among those reported to have been arrested, detained, interrogated, and killed by Iran’s security forces. With at least 28 documented instances of children being killed since the beginning of protests on September 16, the regime’s ongoing heavy-handed treatment of children – which includes their detention at “psychological institutions” – has raised fears of more child killings. 

U.S. Encourages Technology Companies To Help Iranians Circumvent Internet Outages | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Top U.S. officials have reportedly met with leaders in the tech industry to encourage them to facilitate internet access in Iran in light of the U.S. government’s general license, which permits the use of certain software and other technologies in Iran. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said that some U.S. technology companies have already begun to provide new services to Iranians under the general license. 

With U.S. Nudges, Google And Others Aim To Help Iranian Protesters | Washington Post
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) engineered by an elite research team at Google is reportedly surging in Iran amid a wide-spread internet blackout. In the past two months, monthly users of the free VPN, called Outline – which allows internet users to hide their online activities from authorities – have increased tenfold to 2.4 million devices in September. The U.S. government provides funding to a third-party distributor of a version of the VPN.

Washington's Push For Nuclear Deal With Iran Aids Tehran Even As Ayatollahs Crack Down On Protesters | Benny Avni For The New York Sun
U.S. Special Envoy on Iran Robert Malley reportedly “almost single-handedly drives U.S. policy on Iran.” With the full backing of the White House and the State Department, he is focused on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. His detractors argue that reviving the nuclear deal would “legitimize” and enrich an oppressive regime that is killing and maiming its own people. The nuclear negotiations with Iran have been suspended, and some officials within the Biden administration – particularly at the Treasury Department – are beginning to advocate for an alternative approach. Washington sources told The Sun that there is a growing rift between Treasury Department officials, who are urging Biden to pressure Tehran via sanctions in support of protesters, and Robert Malley, who is committed to striking a new deal in Vienna. Yesterday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said to reporters that the nuclear talks were not the “the U.S. focus” at the moment, but rather shining a light on the remarkable bravery of the Iranian people. Some analysts remain skeptical, suggesting that Rob Malley’s pursuit of a nuclear deal is taking priority over the interests of the Iranian people.  

Sen. Bob Menendez Weighs In On Protests In Iran | NPR
In an interview with NPR, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, a Democrat, expressed his opposition to a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, explaining that “it leaves a pathway for Iran to achieve a nuclear weapon [and] doesn’t deal with any of Iran’s other nefarious behavior.” 

Canada Imposes New Iran Sanctions Over Human Rights | Reuters
Canada levied a new round of sanctions against 17 individuals and 3 entities in response to the government’s human rights abuses amid the ongoing crackdown on protests. For the first time, a western country targeted the former speaker of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, a purported moderate. Iran’s former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, also a purported moderate, was also targeted. The action builds on Canada’s human rights designations issued on October 3, 2022. 

Iranian Linked To Hijab Crackdown Is Director Of British Migrant Charity | The Times
Saied Reza Ameli, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which was responsible for planning out tougher enforcement of the hijab mandate, is also the director of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a UK government-approved legal advisory company. The Office of Immigration Services Commissioner in the UK became aware of an allegation that Ameli was “aligned with the Iranian state’s foreign and domestic agenda” in 2019, but it did not take any action against the organization or Ameli.  

Iran Privately Menaces EU Capitals Against Sanctions | Politico
Iranian Ambassador to the EU Gholamhossein Dehghani sent a letter to European ambassadors, threatening that bilateral relations between Iran and Europe “may not survive” if the EU levies sanctions on Iran for its brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters. As diplomats announced yesterday, the EU is expected to levy sanctions against Iran when European diplomats meet on October 17th. The U.S., Canada, and the U.K. have already issued sanctions packages targeting the perpetrators of violence against women and protesters. Iran’s pressure campaign appears to have had no impact on the European diplomats, with one saying that Iran’s efforts were a “lost cause,” given the strength of “unity and momentum” for the proposed sanctions.