The Iranian clerical regime’s intensified crackdown on political dissent continues with the detention of Mahsa Saeedi and five other prominent female figures in a bid to pre-empt another uprising similar to that of 2022.
Mahsa Saeedi, a native of Kerman with a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Yazd, remains in custody without any official communication on her whereabouts since her arrest by the IRGC Intelligence agents in Yazd on September 11. The uncertainty surrounding her situation has left her family deeply concerned.
This move aligns with the regime’s ongoing strategy over the past few months, increasing its arrests as the first anniversary of the 2022 Iran Uprising approached on September 16. The primary targets include students, educators, rights activists, and relatives of those who lost their lives in the uprising.
In a concerning incident on September 23, the Gorgan Prison authorities in northern Iran baited Ms. Fereshteh Mahdavi under the pretext of providing clothes for her detained 23-year-old son, Mohammad Reza Showqi. Upon her arrival, state security forces promptly arrested and incarcerated her.
Student activist Armita Pavir, who studies cell and molecular biology at Madani University of Azerbaijan, faced a similar fate. Security agents arrested her on September 21, transferring her to the women’s ward of the Central Prison of Tabriz.
This wasn’t Pavir’s first arrest; she was previously detained during the 2022 Iran protests and released on bail in December that year.
Zeinab Kazemi, a 38-year-old construction engineer, represents another case of the state’s tightening grip on personal freedoms. She was arrested on September 18 after being ousted from the Engineering Organization board for refusing to wear the compulsory veil.
Labor activism also appears to be on the regime’s radar. Reyhaneh Ansari Nejad, a labor activist, was summoned on September 20 to begin her four-year prison sentence. Previously arrested on the eve of International Labor Day on April 28, she had secured a temporary release on August 6, 2023.
Reyhaneh Ansarinejad, a labor activist, sentenced to 4 years in prison
Similarly, another labor activist, Atefeh Rangriz, was subjected to intense interrogation after her arrest by intelligence agents on September 10. Following her interrogation at the Intelligence Department of Semnan, she was moved to Shahrud Prison on September 21.
These arrests underscore the regime’s intention to suppress any form of dissent, especially from influential figures, in a desperate attempt to maintain its control amidst rising opposition and public discontent.
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