Supporters of MEK stage a rally in Ottawa Canada, asking for the human rights organizations to intervene and put pressure on the Iranian dictatorship to free all political prisoners.
On Friday, April 19, Mahmoud Alavi, Iran’s Minister for Intelligence, boasted of the Iranian regime’s progress in quashing dissent and silencing the Iranian opposition. He claimed that the regime’s intelligence agency (MOIS) and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had “dealt with” 116 resistance cells belonging to the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK).
In a statement, the MEK responded by asserting that the regime has arrested many more MEK members than the regime has claimed. It called on the regime to publish the names of all those arrested last year. The MEK published the names of 28 members currently in regime custody. It also called on the international community to take steps to secure their release.
In view of admission by #Iran regime’s Intel Minister to some of the arrests (of dissidents) last year, I urge the UN Sec. Gen., High Commissioner for HR, Human Rights Council, and Int’l HR Orgs. to take urgent steps & send delegations to visit prisons & political prisoners.
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 23, 2019
The Iranian opposition’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on the UN to establish an international delegation that could enter Iran and visit the 28 named prisoners. From there, they could work to secure the prisoners’ release.
2018 Was a Year of Protests
2018 was a landmark year for the Iranian opposition and the MEK. It began with a nationwide uprising, in which public protests spread to all 31 of Iran’s provinces and every major town and city.
Protestors were demonstrating against the Iranian regime’s economic mismanagement and corruption. They chanted slogans like “down with the dictator”, “Down with the Supreme Leader” and “Khamenei, shame on you!”
The regime arrested thousands in the wake of the protests. At least 14 protestors died in regime custody after being subjected to torture and inhumane conditions.
The Names of the Brave Iranian Political Prisoners
These are the names of the brave protestors currently languishing in regime custody.
- Farshad Etemadifar, 24, Gachsaran, June 2018
- Omid Javid Nasab, 20, Gachsaran, June 2018
- Farshad, 21, Gachsaran, June 2018
- Farshid Baharan, 21, Yasouj, Khordad 2018
- Mehrzad Baharan, 27, Yasouj, June 2018
- Amir Ramin Fard, 38, Tabriz, June 2018
- Shahyad Ghanavati, 32, Ahvaz, September 2018
- Afshin Barzegar Jamshidi, 29, September 2018
- Majid Mahmoudian, 37, Tabriz, September 2018
- Mohammad Reza Hasan Maleki, 33, Semnan, October 2018
- Zarir Hadipour, 56, Kohdasht, October 2018
- Farhang Khorshidi, 41, Kohdasht, October 2018
- Alireza Barzegar, 40, Karaj, October 2018
- Pouriya Vahidian, Tehran, November 2018
- Manoochehr Farhadi, 50, Isfahan, February 2019
- Seyyed Mehdi Vafaie, 35, Tehran, February 2019
- Hossein Noori Derakhshan, 36, Tehran, February 2019
- Hamid Kashani, Ghaemshahr, February 2019
- Vahid Bani Ameriyan, 26, Tehran, March 2019
- Pooya Ghobadi, 26, Tehran, March 2019
- Sina Zahiri, 36, Tehran, March 2019
- Mohsen Farid, 44, Tehran, March 2019
- And 24. Parsa Sedighi Hamedani, 22, with her sister, Urmia, March 2019
25. Ebrahim Khalil Sedighi Hamedani, Urmia, 60, March 2019
26. Afshin Shahsavari, 27, Tehran, March 2019
27.Abbas Shahbazi, 41, Ahvaz, March 2019
28. Najah Anvar Hamidi, 60, Ahvaz, March 2019
Staff writer