Latest news with #Javad
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's generals tighten grip on the country after Israeli strikes
When Javad opens his bedroom window in Tehran, only the snow-capped Damavand mountain looks familiar. Everything else has been transformed since the generals tightened their grip after last month's 12-day war with Israel. The 36-year-old software engineer now sets his alarm 30 minutes earlier – not for breakfast or prayers, but for the checkpoints that have multiplied across the capital. At about 7am, he starts his Peugeot 206. The drive to his tech company office was once twenty minutes through familiar streets. Now it's a careful route through military checkpoints that have turned Tehran into something resembling Baghdad or Damascus. 'They stop me at the same checkpoint every day,' he said. 'They're at every roundabout, all of them armed.' He added: 'The regime is now far more brutal than it was before the war. They arrest random people in neighbourhoods and detain them for days – not because they've committed a crime, but to intimidate the local population.' The Islamic Republic has launched its most aggressive domestic security crackdown in years following a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that ended nearly two weeks of Israeli and American airstrikes on Iran. A former intelligence officer said things are so tense that top officials change safe houses every night and avoid using phones, fearing assassination. Abdollah Shahbazi said Iran's current situation would have been 'unimaginable' before the 12-day war with Israel, describing the country as under the control of 'hostile power,' referring to Israel. 'High and mid-level officials are in a situation similar to members of underground guerrilla groups in their own country,' Mr Shahbazi said. 'They must change safe houses every night and distance themselves from communication devices like mobile phones for fear of assassination.' The former official said it has become clear that beyond Israel's air, missile and drone capabilities, 'an active force from Mossad's Iranian network is operating on the ground.' Shahbazi questioned how long the current 'dual situation' can persist, calling it perhaps the strangest development in his generation's lifetime of dramatic changes. Since mid-June, authorities have also detained hundreds of people across the country, accusing them of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service or assisting Israeli strikes. Officials claim to have disrupted extensive espionage networks. The clerical regime has mobilised the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Basij militia, and police for sweeping house raids and vehicle checks across the country. Iran's judiciary chief has ordered expedited trials and executions for alleged collaborators, using charges of 'waging war against God' and 'corruption on Earth.' At least six executions have taken place following what Amnesty International called 'grossly unfair trials.' On Thursday evening, armed forces killed four members of a family after opening fire on vehicles they thought were 'suspicious' near a military base in central Iran. Iranian media reported that the victims included a young couple and their five-year-old daughter. Two other family members remain in critical condition and in a coma following the shooting. The shooting has sparked a backlash on social media, with Iranians saying the regime is 'taking revenge on its own people after losing the war to Israel.' 'They kill anyone they're suspicious of,' one resident said. 'Why are you so savage?' she added, asking the regime. The situation is worse in western Kurdish cities, home to many dissident voices, where authorities have intensified security operations amid long-standing tensions with ethnic Kurdish communities. Human rights groups report daily arrests in the region, with the whereabouts of several detainees and the charges against many remaining unknown weeks after their arrest. Mohsen, a resident of western Saqqez – the hometown of Mahsa Amini, the young woman whose death in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police sparked nationwide protests in 2022 – said the heavy presence of armed forces makes the city feel like it's under 'martial law.' He said: 'The suppression forces – the IRGC, Basij, police, and plainclothes officers – have taken over the city and set up checkpoints inside the city and at every entrances and exits.' He added: 'They're afraid people will rise up again and challenge their dictatorship, especially now that people have seen how weak they really are. 'They are very afraid and would shoot you even if you take a photo of somewhere or just look at them in a way that makes you think you're stressed.' Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also under pressure to call for a referendum on the nature of the Islamic Republic. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leader of Iran's Green Movement – has nothing to do with the environment – called for a constitutional referendum last week and said the current system does not represent all Iranians. In a message issued from house arrest, Mr Mousavi said, 'The bitter situation that befell the country was the result of a series of major mistakes.' Some 700 Iranian activists have signed a statement supporting Mr Mousavi's call for political change. Mr Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest since 2009, following protests against the presidential election results and public demonstrations. He said: 'Holding a referendum to establish a constitutional assembly will pave the way for realising people's right to self-determination and will discourage enemies of this land from interfering in the country's affairs.' The former prime minister during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war added: 'The current structure of the system does not represent all Iranians. People want to see a revision of those errors.' Back in Tehran, Javad is questioning how much longer the Islamic Republic can survive after last month's US and Israeli strikes on the country. 'I always feared the regime would drag us into war,' he said. 'They've done it – and now the people are paying the price.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iran's generals tighten grip on country after Israeli strikes
When Javad opens his bedroom window in Tehran, only the snow-capped Damavand mountain looks familiar. Everything else has been transformed since the generals tightened their grip after last month's 12-day war with Israel. The 36-year-old software engineer now sets his alarm 30 minutes earlier – not for breakfast or prayers, but for the checkpoints that have multiplied across the capital. At about 7am, he starts his Peugeot 206. The drive to his tech company office was once twenty minutes through familiar streets. Now it's a careful route through military checkpoints that have turned Tehran into something resembling Baghdad or Damascus. 'They stop me at the same checkpoint every day,' he said. 'They're at every roundabout, all of them armed.' He added: 'The regime is now far more brutal than it was before the war. They arrest random people in neighbourhoods and detain them for days – not because they've committed a crime, but to intimidate the local population.' The Islamic Republic has launched its most aggressive domestic security crackdown in years following a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that ended nearly two weeks of Israeli and American airstrikes on Iran. A former intelligence officer said things are so tense that top officials change safe houses every night and avoid using phones, fearing assassination. Abdollah Shahbazi said Iran's current situation would have been 'unimaginable' before the 12-day war with Israel, describing the country as under the control of 'hostile power,' referring to Israel. 'High and mid-level officials are in a situation similar to members of underground guerrilla groups in their own country,' Mr Shahbazi said. 'They must change safe houses every night and distance themselves from communication devices like mobile phones for fear of assassination.' The former official said it has become clear that beyond Israel's air, missile and drone capabilities, 'an active force from Mossad's Iranian network is operating on the ground.' Shahbazi questioned how long the current 'dual situation' can persist, calling it perhaps the strangest development in his generation's lifetime of dramatic changes. Since mid-June, authorities have also detained hundreds of people across the country, accusing them of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service or assisting Israeli strikes. Officials claim to have disrupted extensive espionage networks. The clerical regime has mobilised the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Basij militia, and police for sweeping house raids and vehicle checks across the country. Iran's judiciary chief has ordered expedited trials and executions for alleged collaborators, using charges of 'waging war against God' and 'corruption on Earth.' At least six executions have taken place following what Amnesty International called 'grossly unfair trials.' On Thursday evening, armed forces killed four members of a family after opening fire on vehicles they thought were 'suspicious' near a military base in central Iran. Iranian media reported that the victims included a young couple and their five-year-old daughter. Two other family members remain in critical condition and in a coma following the shooting. 'Taking revenge on Iranians' The shooting has sparked a backlash on social media, with Iranians saying the regime is 'taking revenge on its own people after losing the war to Israel.' 'They kill anyone they're suspicious of,' one resident said. 'Why are you so savage?' she added, asking the regime. The situation is worse in western Kurdish cities, home to many dissident voices, where authorities have intensified security operations amid long-standing tensions with ethnic Kurdish communities. Human rights groups report daily arrests in the region, with the whereabouts of several detainees and the charges against many remaining unknown weeks after their arrest. Mohsen, a resident of western Saqqez – the hometown of Mahsa Amini, the young woman whose death in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police sparked nationwide protests in 2022 – said the heavy presence of armed forces makes the city feel like it's under 'martial law.' He said: 'The suppression forces – the IRGC, Basij, police, and plainclothes officers – have taken over the city and set up checkpoints inside the city and at every entrances and exits.' He added: 'They're afraid people will rise up again and challenge their dictatorship, especially now that people have seen how weak they really are. 'They are very afraid and would shoot you even if you take a photo of somewhere or just look at them in a way that makes you think you're stressed.' Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also under pressure to call for a referendum on the nature of the Islamic Republic. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leader of Iran's Green Movement – has nothing to do with the environment – called for a constitutional referendum last week and said the current system does not represent all Iranians. In a message issued from house arrest, Mr Mousavi said, 'The bitter situation that befell the country was the result of a series of major mistakes.' Some 700 Iranian activists have signed a statement supporting Mr Mousavi's call for political change. Mr Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, have been under house arrest since 2009, following protests against the presidential election results and public demonstrations. He said: 'Holding a referendum to establish a constitutional assembly will pave the way for realising people's right to self-determination and will discourage enemies of this land from interfering in the country's affairs.' The former prime minister during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war added: 'The current structure of the system does not represent all Iranians. People want to see a revision of those errors.' Back in Tehran, Javad is questioning how much longer the Islamic Republic can survive after last month's US and Israeli strikes on the country. 'I always feared the regime would drag us into war,' he said. 'They've done it – and now the people are paying the price.'
Edinburgh Live
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Director fled to Edinburgh after risking his life 'shooting films in secret'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Iranian film director who fled his home country after enduring prison torture has said he 'no longer felt human'. Javad Daraei, 33, risked his life shooting films in secret that told of the persecution of women, the LGBT community and disabled community under the rule of the Islamic Public. In 2017, Javad was ambushed by three men who dragged him into a car and brought him to a detention centre after the release of his last film in Iran. After human rights organisations provided a flight out of the country for him, Javad moved to Scotland after being offered an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship at Edinburgh University. While he's now safe, Javad says his mind easily wanders back to the tiny windowless cell where he was tortured by 'brutal' prison gaurds. On the wall of his bedroom is a picture of a Highland landscape as a reminder when he wakes up that he is safe in Scotland. He said: "Sometimes I feel mentally frozen in that place though physically I am in Scotland. But being here is gradually helping me recover the part of me that I lost in that terrible place." Javad's films are banned in his native homeland but have won 57 awards and 52 nominations in the UK, America, Australia, Europe and Asia. Two are now to have their Scottish premiere with a special screening in Edinburgh. Javad is also now making his first feature in English in Scotland in a production written and directed by him about the precarious life of a sex worker in Glasgow. As he talks in his small flat in the city's east end Javad plays with his cat Fifi, steadying the nerves that always come when he recalls the terror he faced in Iran. His first film, I Don't Like Here was made when he was a student at Tehran University and focused on the mistreatment of a trans boy. Those who transition in Iran are at risk of being disappeared or killed. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox He made the film after arriving in Tehran from his home in a religious mountain community in Khorramabad 100km east of the Iraqi border. He said: "When I went to Tehran, I met a community of gay and trans people. They lived with so much fear and it felt so wrong to me." Homosexuality is illegal and punishable by imprisonment or flogging in Iran. In 2016 the film was smuggled out to festivals and led to Javad's first visit from the intelligence police who demanded to see the rushes but he had already stored the most incriminating shots in a hidden hard drive. Javad said: "They weren't too bad that time. They warned me and I thought if that was the worst they would do then I would carry on." I Don't Like Here will be shown at Edinburgh's Cameo cinema this month along with Limit, his second project which explores the torment of a man who is trapped by disability. The disabled in Iran are marginalised, excluded from society in a country where they can barely access healthcare or simple equipment like a wheelchair. The movie was realised in 2017 and won him more international plaudits and many more gongs. Again he was warned by the intelligence police but Javad was determined to continue his underground filmmaking despite the risks. His last film in Iran, Metamorphosis in the Slaughterhouse was screened at 17 international film festivals and won four awards in the US including best film and director. Focusing on the vigilante vengeance a young girl faces when her parents are accused of murder it was filmed in clandestine shoots in abandoned villages. (Image: Ross Turpie - Daily Record) The global recognition it received enraged the Iranian authorities. One day as he walked home Javad was ambushed by three men who thrust a hood over his head and dragged him into a car. Javad said: "They pushed me to the floor of the car and they were punching me in the head and the neck. I was screaming begging to know who they were but they were just shouting insults at me. It was terrifying." When the car stopped they dragged him into a detention centre where he was thrown into a room so small he couldn't stretch out. It had a piercing halogen light and there was a constant whirring of a fan. To this day Javad can't be in a room with a fan. Javad could hear the wretched screams of other detainees ring out across the building. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is the brutal armed force which takes its orders from the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They accused him of being an American spy. He remained hooded as the sadistic guards rained blow after blow on his body; they burned him with a lighter and they pounded him so violently they broke his leg. He was held for 17 days and slept in a filthy mattress in the suffocating heat of the Iranian summer. Javad said: "Every day they got more and more brutal. I refused to eat. It was mental and physical torture. I no longer felt human. For the last few days I was unconscious." Eventually he was released into a state run hospital where his leg was not properly treated and Javad knew if he was to survive he would have to escape Iran. The chance came when in 2021 when human rights organisations organised for him to be put on a flight out of the country. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. Javad ultimately moved to Scotland when he was offered an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship at Edinburgh University and he has been given the refugee status of the right to remain in the UK. As well as his film he is also writing an autobiographical play he hopes will open in London. His experiences in Iran have left him traumatised but with the help of therapy and friends he has made in Scotland he is slowly recovering and has once again returned to filming. He has recently had surgery on the leg broken during torture. Javad finds solace in Scotland's cold and rain because warm days remind him of detention in Iran. In Iran he is convinced that information about his filming was being fed back to the regime by one of his team and so it has taken him time to trust enough to form a small and precious crew around him to make his latest feature. Javad said: "At first I still lived with the fear of being arrested again, of not being able to trust anyone. But I have the most wonderful crew who have shown me such patience and love. "I am less pessimistic now. I believe the people you meet change your life and attitude and after experiencing such a terrible journey the people here in Scotland have really helped me. Before I wrote and made plays and films for the love of life but now it is the key to my sanity and survival." Javad Daraei: Two Dead Films and One Still Alive shows as part of Refugee Festival Scotland at the Cameo, Edinburgh on June 18.
Daily Record
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Iranian film director tells of Tehran prison torture after fleeing to Scotland
Javad Daraei is now living in Glasgow after being imprisoned in Iran where his films are banned. On the wall of exiled Iranian filmmaker Javad Daraei's bedroom is a picture of a Highland landscape as a reminder when he wakes up that he is safe in Scotland. In his mind, the internationally acclaimed director too easily drifts back to the tiny windowless cell where he was imprisoned and tortured daily by Iran's brutal revolutionary guard. He said: 'Sometimes I feel mentally frozen in that place though physically I am in Scotland. But being here is gradually helping me recover the part of me that I lost in that terrible place.' Javad's films are banned in his native homeland but have won 57 awards and 52 nominations in the UK, America, Australia, Europe and Asia. Two are now to have their Scottish premiere with a special screening in Edinburgh. Javad, 33, is also now making his first feature in English in Scotland in a production written and directed by him about the precarious life of a sex worker in Glasgow. As he talks in his small flat in the city's east end Javad plays with his cat Fifi, steadying the nerves that always come when he recalls the terror he faced in Iran. Javad risked his life, shooting in secret his films which highlight the persecution of women, the LGTBQ community and the disabled under the tyrannical rule of the Islamic Republic. His first film, I Don't Like Here was made when he was a student at Tehran University and focused on the mistreatment of a trans boy. Those who transition in Iran are at risk of being disappeared or killed. He made the film after arriving in Tehran from his home in a religious mountain community in Khorramabad 100km east of the Iraqi border. He said: 'When I went to Tehran, I met a community of gay and trans people. They lived with so much fear and it felt so wrong to me.' Homosexuality is illegal and punishable by imprisonment or flogging in Iran. In 2016 the film was smuggled out to festivals and led to Javad's first visit from the intelligence police who demanded to see the rushes but he had already stored the most incriminating shots in a hidden hard drive. Javad said: 'They weren't too bad that time. They warned me and I thought if that was the worst they would do then I would carry on.' I Don't Like Here will be shown at Edinburgh's Cameo cinema this month along with Limit, his second project which explores the torment of a man who is trapped by disability. The disabled in Iran are marginalised, excluded from society in a country where they can barely access healthcare or simple equipment like a wheelchair. . The movie was realised in 2017 and won him more international plaudits and many more gongs. Again he was warned by the intelligence police but Javad was determined to continue his underground filmmaking despite the risks. His last film in Iran, Metamorphosis in the Slaughterhouse was screened at 17 international film festivals and won four awards in the US including best film and director. Focusing on the vigilante vengeance a young girl faces when her parents are accused of murder it was filmed in clandestine shoots in abandoned villages. The global recognition it received enraged the Iranian authorities. One day as he walked home Javad was ambushed by three men who thrust a hood over his head and dragged him into a car. Javad said: 'They pushed me to the floor of the car and they were punching me in the head and the neck. I was screaming begging to know who they were but they were just shouting insults at me. It was terrifying.' When the car stopped they dragged him into a detention centre where he was thrown into a room so small he couldn't stretch out. It had a piercing halogen light and there was a constant whirring of a fan. To this day Javad can't be in a room with a fan. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Javad could hear the wretched screams of other detainees ring out across the building. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is the brutal armed force which takes its orders from theSupreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They accused him of being an American spy. He remained hooded as the sadistic guards rained blow after blow on his body; they burned him with a lighter and they pounded him so violently they broke his leg. He was held for 17 days and slept in a filthy mattress in the suffocating heat of the Iranian summer. Javad said:'Ever day they got more and more brutal. I refused to eat. It was mental and physical torture.I no longer felt human. For the last few days I was unconscious.' Eventually he was released into a state run hospital where his leg was not properly treated and Javad knew if he was to survive he would have to escape Iran. The chance came when in 2021 when human rights organisations organised for him to be put on a flight out of the country. Javad ultimately moved to Scotland when he was offered an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship at Edinburgh University and he has been given the refugee status of the right to remain in the UK. As well as his film he is also writing an autobiographical play he hopes will open in London. His experiences in Iran have left him traumatised but with the help of therapy and friends he has made in Scotland he is slowly recovering and has once again returned to filming. He has recently had surgery on the leg broken during torture. Javad finds solace in Scotland's cold and rain because warm days remind him of detention in Iran. In Iran he is convinced that information about his filming was being fed back to the regime by one of his team and so it has taken him time to trust enough to form a small and precious crew around him to make his latest feature. Javad said: 'At first I still lived with the fear of being arrested again, of not being able to trust anyone. But I have the most wonderful crew who have shown me such patience and love. 'I am less pessimistic now. I believe the people you meet change your life and attitude and after experiencing such a terrible journey the people here in Scotland have really helped me. Before I wrote and made plays and films for the love of life but now it is the key to my sanity and survival.' Javad Daraei: Two Dead Films and One Still Alive shows as part of Refugee Festival Scotland at the Cameo, Edinburgh on June 18.
