Eye on Iran's Protests - October 20, 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. 

Exclusive: Deadly Iran Jail Fire Erupted As Police Clashed With Inmates | Reuters
Riot police arrived and began patrolling around Evin Prison before the fire broke out last week, further adding to suspicions that it was planned. Suspicions first arose when it was reported that former President Rafsanjani’s son – an inmate at the prison – was told to return home earlier than normal and not to return until the day of the fire. Explosions and gunfire were heard after the fire was contained. 

Iran’s Protests Spread, As A Notorious Prison Burns | The Economist
Prison guards fired teargas and live ammunition at prisoners trying to escape the smoke and fire at the notorious Evin Prison. The Iranian government death count – which reported several deaths from asphyxiation – is widely held in doubt. The fire took place on the backdrop of chaos in the streets and widespread disobedience directed at the compulsory hijab and gender segregation rules that derive from a strict interpretation Islam. The prison fire evoked memories of Rex Cinema, an arson attack that killed 470 people and hastened the demise of the Shah. Some traditionalist clerics are reportedly joining the protests, while divisions among regime insiders emerge. The formerly powerful Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has publicly questioned some religious rules, including the compulsory hijab, along with the wisdom of the government’s “rigid” response.  

Women dined without their hijab in public in Iran despite risk of punishment.

Iranian Schoolgirl ‘Beaten To Death For Refusing To Sing’ Pro-Regime Anthem | The Guardian
16-year-old Asra Panahi who was killed last week after being beaten by regime security forces for refusing to sing an Islamic Republic of Iran propaganda song at her high school has tragically become another face of the protest movement. She joins dozens of other young girls – such as Nika Shakarami and Sarina Ezmailzadeh – that were killed because they represent a threat to the ruling establishment and its ideology. Their deaths have added to anti-regime anger and reportedly sparked further protests.  

Abolfazl Adinezadeh: Teenage Protester Shot Dead By Security Forces - Sources | BBC
Iranian regime security forces killed 17-year-old Abolfazl Adinezadeh by shooting him at pointblank range with a shotgun in Mashhad earlier this month. 

Canada Imposes New Sanctions Over Human Rights Violations In Iran | Reuters
Yesterday, Canada levied a new round of sanctions against six individuals and four entities for their involvement in “gross human rights violations” in Iran. Among those sanctioned was a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (which supports terrorist organizations abroad), the Guardian Council (responsible for manipulating the candidate field in elections), and the Expediency Council (nominally responsible for overseeing the supreme leader and selecting his successor).  

World's Female Foreign Ministers To Meet On Iran, Canada Says | Reuters
Over the past few weeks, Canada has shown its interest in imposing costs on Iran. In addition to the newly levied sanctions, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will also convene a virtual meeting of female foreign ministers around the world to discuss the ongoing crackdown in Iran against women and protesters. At the virtual meeting, the female foreign ministers will likely vocalize their support for the protest movement. 

The Doctors Risking It All To Treat Iran’s Protesters | CNN
Undercover Iranian law enforcement officers are reportedly infiltrating hospitals intending to arrest and detain injured protesters. For that reason, many injured protesters are refusing to seek out medical attention. Some doctors have taken to aiding not only the injuries of the protesters but their concealment from the officers, including by providing them with fake names. These heroic doctors are risking not only their job but their freedom and physical well-being. 

Iranian Climber Rekabi Gets Hero’s Welcome In Tehran After Competing Without Hijab | Agence France-Presse
Dressed in a black hoodie and black hat instead of the hijab, professional Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi was greeted by her family and throngs of cheering people at the airport upon returning to Tehran from a climbing competition in Seoul. Speaking to reporters, she said that her decision to not wear the hijab while competing was not intentional. 

The Truth Behind Elnaz’s Photo with Iran’s Minister of Sports | Iran Wire
Iran's Sports Minister attempted to turn Rekabi’s return into a propaganda stunt, whisking her to a meeting that was used as a photoshoot. She remained in hoodie and black hat. Iran Wire sources claimed that while in Seoul she was tricked into going to the Iranian embassy and that her brother was summoned by regime security personnel. 

Video footage emerged of the violent arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Hossein Ronaghi. His legs were reportedly broken in prison torture.

Unparalleled Iranian Attack On Kurds | Ray Palumbo And Ari Cicurel For Real Clear Defense
The lack of a U.S. response to Iran’s launching of 78 ballistic missiles into Kurdish territory in Iraq in late September or its severe repression of protests at home will encourage the regime to continue and intensify its aggression abroad and violence at home. A stronger Iran policy to deter these behaviors might include increasing diplomatic, economic, and military pressure on the regime, not just its proxies, this author adds. Bolstering Israel’s capabilities as the primary actor deterring Iranian foreign aggression is also an option.  

Analysis: Beyond Cutting Hair And Rhetoric, Little West Can Do To Change Iran’s Trajectory | Reuters
Officials and analysts commonly say that the U.S. and other western governments interested in supporting the anti-regime protests in Iran have few if any policy options. As a Guardian report contended earlier this week, western sanctions are largely “symbolic.” Rhetorical support for protesters will have little to no impact on the outcome of their movement. Public criticism of the regime’s abuses will of course do nothing to change its leaders’ decision-making calculus. The most tangible option may be supporting internet connectivity in Iran, these observers suggest. However, there are other diplomatic options, including the establishment of a U.N. commission on Iran. The U.S. and its European allies might further isolate Iran by forcing its representatives and diplomatic personnel out of U.N. bodies, international organizations, foreign offices, interest sections, consulates, and embassies around the world.  

Iran’s Crackdown Must Be The Last Straw For Nuclear Talks | Jason M. Brodsky For The National Interest
UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky advocates for diplomatic isolation, multilateral sanctions, and a credible military threat as the chief components of a new U.S. Iran policy. As part of its effort to isolate Tehran, the U.S. should break off negotiations over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, which risks “empowering the same repressive entities and individuals that the Iranian people are rebelling against.” Furthermore, Brodsky suggests that the U.S. work with its allies to create a task force – modeled after a task force focused on Russia – to harmonize sanctions and their enforcement. To identify the potential targets in this harmonization campaign, see UANI’s Iran Human Rights Sanctions Tracker, which sheds light on the myriad discrepancies between the sanctions regimes of the U.S., U.K., E.U. and Canada.  

Starlink equipment for satellite internet connectivity has reportedly been set up Ahvaz.