Latest news with #Mohammadi
DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Iran regime intensifies crackdown amid Israel ceasefire – DW – 06/27/2025
Iran's regime has executed several people, and arrested hundreds, while seeking to keep domestic opposition in check as its power projection abroad has been weakened following war with Israel. In Tehran's notorious Evin prison, the Iranian regime locks up its opponents, human rights activists, and political dissidents. Iranian rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has spent years behind bars, including multiple stints in Evin prison, for her work calling attention to rights abuses in the Islamic Republic. On Thursday, Mohammadi posted on X that she had received a report from a prison inmate about the high-security ward of the prison being mysteriously emptied out directly following Israeli bombardment. Evin prison's "Ward 209" is where inmates are held in solitary confinement and interrogations are known to take place under gruesome conditions. Mohammadi posted that a witness saw men and women being escorted from the ward in grey uniforms, loaded into vehicles, and taken to an unknown location with no information as to their whereabouts or condition. Prisoners from other sections were also said to have been moved in a similar manner. There is concern that inmates held in secret locations could be mistreated or even killed without anyone knowing. Three Iranians have already been executed this week. At least two of them had earned their living as smugglers in the Iran-Iraq border region. A court justified the execution by saying that the three men had spied for Israel. Dieter Karg, an Iran expert at Amnesty International, said the arrests and execution on "spying" accusations, is a sign that the Iranian government is trying to stifle the opposition in the turbulent period following confrontation with Israel. "The regime is signaling that it is now taking action with full force," Karg told DW, adding that the regime is moving beyond trying to punish ostensible connections with Israel. "Rather, it is now also a matter of accusing people who were originally imprisoned for non-political offenses of having political motives," Karg said. "In fact, the men who were executed were trying to do nothing more than earn a living by smuggling, and this circumstance is now being exploited for political purposes," he added. According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), nine people have already been executed since Israel launched attacks on June 13. According to IHR, a total of 594 people have already been executed in Iran this year. In this respect, the recent executions do not come as a surprise, political scientist Diba Mirzaei, who researches Iran at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, told DW. For years, the regime has responded to perceived threats with increasingly brutal and inhumane measures. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "The regime's message behind such actions is unmistakable. In essence, it says you are either with us or against us. And if you are against us, we will deal with you as we see fit. And no one can do anything about it," she said. "The allegations that there were spies for Israel cannot be dismissed as irrelevant or false. Without collaborators, Israel would not have been able to carry out attacks from within Iran itself," Mirzaei said. She added that potential spies could come from both the Iranian population and the ranks of the regime itself. "And that is, of course, particularly worrying for the leadership." Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense from 1997 to 2002, Alireza Akbari, was perhaps the most famous case of a suspected spy coming from within the Iranian government ranks. In 2019, he was arrested on charges of spying for the British intelligence agency MI6. Akbari denied the charges. He was executed in 2023. The regime, from its own perspective, has no choice but to take action against suspected spies, said Mirzaei. "Because if they were not severely punished, according to the regime's logic, other people might also decide to work as spies," she added. Of course, defendants should receive appropriate legal defense, Mirzaei said. "But that's not the regime's logic. So, there's no other option for them to resort to these very brutal measures." The Islamic Consultative Assembly — the Iranian equivalent of a parliament in Western systems of government — recently passed a law that increases penalties for "collaborators." According to the new legislation, espionage or collaboration with hostile governments, including the United States, constitutes the crime of so-called "corruption on earth" and is punishable by death. Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Iran, the Islamic Republic has begun large-scale arrests under pretexts such as publishing pro-Israel news, contacts with foreign media, and cooperation with or spying for Israel, IHR reports. According to the report, 900 people have already been arrested. "The majority of those detained are people whose mobile devices were searched during checks that allegedly revealed content such as footage of Israeli military actions," according to the IHR report. According to Iran expert Karg from Amnesty, the Iranian regime has lost much of its power basis, as its proxy militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have been drastically weakened, or have fallen from power, like the government of Bashar Assad in Syria. "Now, it is at least trying to maintain its base in its own country by taking tough action," Karg said. Amnesty's access to information within Iran is currently made difficult by an internet blackout. "In this respect, we cannot say exactly what this process [foreign collaboration law] means for political prisoners, some of whom have already been in prison for many years. However, we fear that the number of death sentences and executions will increase," Karg said. This could also apply to the Iranian-Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, among others. He was arrested in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel. Political scientist Mirzaei also fears more executions and even harder punishments for political prisoners in the near future. "In the past, the Iranian people hoped the West would do something for them. Now they are convinced of the opposite," she said, adding this makes helping political prisoners even more difficult. "The only thing we can and must do is keep track of the number of executed people and political prisoners, of torture and severe abuses. Everything else can only come from the Iranian people themselves," she said. Karg takes a similar view. Economic pressure, as well as negotiations on sanctions, could help influence the regime on human rights issues. "Otherwise, we at Amnesty International rely on the power of appeals. This has been partially successful," he said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was translated from German
Memri
3 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
Saudi News Portal Posts Articles By Iranian Oppositionists Calling To Topple The Iranian Regime
In the recent months, the Saudi news portal Elaph posted many articles by Iranian opposition figures in exile that slammed the Iranian regime. The writers, some of them members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI),[1] decried this regime's oppression of and violence against the Iranian people, its pursuit of nuclear weapons, its support for terrorism and its actions to destabilize the region. They also criticized the international community's impotence in the face of the regime's conduct and argued that the futile negotiations with it will not lead to any change in its positions. According to the articles, the regime's pursuit of nuclear weapons and its export of terrorism are meant to guarantee its survival. Therefore, as long as this regime exists, it will not stop advancing these aims, although the Iranian people are unwilling to sacrifice themselves to this end. The authors of the articles stressed that Iranian people, which suffers the regime's tyranny, now feels it has a historic opportunity to achieve freedom and justice. Therefore, it will not cease its struggle until the regime is overthrown and Iran is established as a free and democratic state. "The time has come for the Iranian regime to collapse," said the writers, and called on the international community to support the people's struggle. Iranians in Europe protest against the regime (Image: April 25, 2025) The following are translated excerpts from these articles: Iranian Oppositionist: As Long as the Iranian Regime Exists, It Will Not Cease Its Repression, Terror And Pursuit Of Nuclear Weapons; The Solution Is For The People To Replace It In an article published on June 16, 2025, three days after Israel launched its offensive against Iran, Iranian oppositionist Nezam Mir Mohammadi stated that, as a result of this attack, the Iranian regime is now facing an existential threat. He urged the international community to take a firm stance against it, and to understand that it will never stop its terror and repression, so that the only choice is for the Iranian people to replace it. Mohammadi wrote: "The Iranian regime is at a dangerous turning point in light of escalating international and regional tensions. The resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors,[2] as well as Israel's military strike on the Natanz nuclear facility [and its elimination of] senior Iranian officials, have placed the regime in an embarrassing situation. Now it is trying to buy time and maneuver to avoid [further] confrontation, but it is facing unprecedented pressures that threaten its continued existence... "For over four decades the Iranian regime has relied on instigating wars by means of its proxies in the countries of the region, which turned it into a major source of chaos and instability. By politicizing [various] religious and Islamic-Arab causes, this regime managed to impose its influence on the region's countries and to embroil them in long-term conflicts… "The regime tries to use these tensions [in the region] to mobilize the Islamic countries and peoples to support it, but after 46 years of deception and concealment, the world now realizes the truth about it. This strategy, which was effective in the past, no longer works because the world [now] sees the regime turning against the interests of the region and of the Iranian people itself. "The Iranian regime currently faces two options: either succumb to the international demands by dismantling its nuclear program and [thus] lose one of its sources of strength, or continue the escalation, which will lead to a military confrontation that sources have called 'military suicide.' The Israeli attacks, as well as the exposure of the secret nuclear program by the [Iranian] opposition,[3] increased the regime's isolation in the international arena. Its insistence on continuing its policy of deception and of instigating crises left it at an impasse, for its mask has slipped, exposing its true face as a threat to the region's security… "The international community must reassess its policy toward Iran, with focus on [taking] a firm stance that will ensure the region's stability and security. Continuing its present policy could bring the [Iranian] regime to a disastrous confrontation, not only with the world but also with its [own] people. "The clerics who rule Iran have a rich record of deception and concealment, and were it not for the [information] exposed by the Iranian opposition over the past 34 years, they would have obtained nuclear weapons long ago. This regime has never met its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or under UN Security Council Resolution 2231,[4] and has always used negotiations to buy time and [to try] to complete its nuclear program. "Obtaining a nuclear bomb, exporting terror and sparking foreign wars served this regime as a strategic [way to] guarantee its survival. Due to the great failures suffered by the regime and its proxies in the region over the past year, the nuclear program became even more vital to it. Experience proves that, as long as this regime exists, it will not cease its oppression, terror, export of extremism, instigation of wars and [advancement of] its nuclear program. The ultimate way to eliminate this terrorist tyranny, [that seeks to be] armed with a nuclear bomb, is for the Iranian people and opposition to replace this regime. And as thousands of lawmakers, leaders and senior political figures in various countries have declared, the international community must recognize the right of the Iranian people and the Iranian opposition to fight this regime and replace it."[5] Iranian Oppositionist: The Iranian People Will Continue Its Struggle Until The Regime Falls And A Free, Democratic Iran Is Established In an April 22, 2025 article, NCRI member Mehdi Oghbai noted that the renewal of nuclear negotiations between the Iranian regime and the West was frequently accompanied by a surge in the regime's execution of dissidents. He explained that this phenomenon stems from the regime's fear of a domestic uprising against it, and stressed that, despite the danger, the Iranian people will continue their struggle until they achieve their liberty. Oghbai wrote: "Amid the internal and external crises faced by the Iranian regime, there is a close and conspicuous connection between a rise in the number of executions and the start of new rounds of nuclear negotiations. This link is no coincidence. It is a calculated strategy [on the part of the regime] aimed at repressing the Iranian people and preventing the outbreak of a popular uprising as a result of the regime's weakness in these negotiations. In 2024 there was a significant surge in executions by the Iranian regime. By February there were 124 [executions], six times as many as in February 2023 (21 cases)… "The Iranian resistance renews its call for the UN, the EU countries and all the international organizations that defend human rights to condemn these barbaric executions and take immediate measures to save the lives of the prisoners sentenced to death, especially the political prisoners. "In his Eid Al-Fitr sermon, [Iran's Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei revealed his real fears, saying that the biggest threat [to Iran] was internal rather than external, namely, the possibility of popular revolutions and uprisings. This fear causes the regime to increase the rate of executions, especially of political prisoners, in order to intimidate the people and prevent any protest activity. The Iranian resistance, which represents the voice of the people yearning for liberty, underscores that these executions are a desperate attempt by the regime to survive amid the increasing pressures it is facing. "Khamenei himself described the nuclear negotiations as 'dishonorable,' which indicates that he realizes he will have to make concessions. These concessions, which reflect the regime's weakness and helplessness, are a clear message to the Iranian people, who are preparing to take this opportunity to rise up. This is why the regime resorts to executions as a means of repressing the public, in an attempt to stem the wave of protests it thinks may come… Suffering under the tyranny and oppression of this regime, the Iranian people see this moment as a historic opportunity to attain liberty and justice. "In sum, these developments reveal the distress of the Iranian regime, which is trying in vain to extinguish the embers of popular resistance. History teaches that no oppression, no matter how cruel, can stop a people determined to achieve its freedom. The Iranian resistance, which enjoys the support of the people, will keep struggling until this regime falls and a free and democratic Iran arises."[6] Iranian Oppositionist: The Time Has Come for the Iranian Regime to Collapse; The People Are Fed Up With It Just As They Were Fed Up With The Shah Following the attacks on Iran by Israel and the U.S., Iranian oppositionist Mahmoud Hakimian, a member of the NCRI's Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the international community and the countries of the region to help the Iranian resistance topple the regime, which, he said, has spent four decades waging war in the region and deceiving the world at the negotiating table, and is now continuing on this destructive path. He wrote: "For the past four decades, the region has experienced wars and conflicts that have left a negative mark on the people who live there… The indisputable fact is that they all occurred following the establishment of the regime of the Islamic Republic, which is based on the extremist ideology of the Rule of the Jurisprudent. "The positive diplomatic efforts and the contacts held by the countries of the region and the international community with the Iranian regime did not prevent the outbreak of the wars [instigated by Iran]. Worse, with the passage of time these [wars] became much more bitter, destructive and dangerous to the peace and security of the region and the world… "Against the backdrop of the series of wars in the region, which ended with the fall of the Syrian regime and the curtailment of Hizbullah's military role in Lebanon, the most recent confrontation between Israel and the Iranian regime erupted in the context of Iran's nuclear program. This is a very grave confrontation that is likely to bring the region to the edge of an abyss. No matter what has been said or written about the circumstances of this confrontation, [it is clear that] the central and significant motivation for it is the policy of the Iranian regime and its [stubborn] adherence to its plans and its dubious path. Even if we assume that this confrontation will end, there is no guarantee that another war won't break out as long as this regime exists and adheres to its path. "No agreement with this regime, including a nuclear agreement, can influence its aggressive nature, now or in the future. When this regime rows weak, it keeps silent and presents itself as innocent; but if it senses that it has the upper hand and that the conditions are right, it will revert to its familiar pattern in the region and the world. [Then, the region and the world] will not be safe from its evil unless they support the legitimate struggle of the Iranian people for freedom, for a [new Iranian] regime that believes in human rights and coexistence, and for a non-nuclear Iran that maintains a separation between religion and state."[7] In an earlier article, Hakimian argued that today's popular resistance against the Iranian regime closely resembles the opposition against the Shah's regime in 1978, just before its collapse. He stated that the Iranian people, who have paid a heavy price for the regime's nuclear program, are tired of this and are no longer willing to do so, and that the time has come to overthrow the regime and to reforge Iran as a democracy. Hakimian wrote: "The rapid events and developments of the situation in Iran, especially the domestic developments, are reminiscent of 1978, the year preceding the fall of the Shah's regime, when everything was at an impasse. The regime [at that time] did everything in its power to ensure its survival, and even agreed to unprecedented concessions in order to stop the spread of the growing popular resistance. But [eventually], what happened, happened... and the regime had no choice but to face its bitter fate and collapse. "The similarity between 1978 and 2025 lies in the popular sense of rejection and hatred toward the regime, which have reached their peak… However, it is important to note that, in addition to the regime's acts of oppression [against its own people], which have crossed [every] line, the regime's foreign policy has also turned Iran into a source of terror that instigates wars and crises [abroad], thus harming Iran's reputation and standing in the international arena. This [too] has caused the people to be fed up with this regime and regard it as unfit to rule… "The main demand in Iran right now is for a regime change that will not allow the return of dictatorship. That is why the popular protests are increasing significantly, as well as the operations of the Resistance Units,[8] which the regime can no longer hide… The Iranian people, who became fed up with the previous regime [of the Shah] and saw no choice but to overthrow it, are now taking a similar stance toward [the current regime]… "What is clear is that the Iranian people, who suffered greatly because of the nuclear program and continue to suffer because of it, are not willing to sacrifice for a dubious program that has brought nothing but negative consequences for them and for Iran. This regime, which is heading for a disconnect with the world, is doing the same thing vis-à-vis its [own] people, who will apparently not allow it to remain. It is time for the Iranian regime to collapse. This is the moment to replace it, to support the Iranian people and resistance in overthrowing this terror-sponsoring regime, and to establish a democratic and popular government."[9]
Saba Yemen
5 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Iran: Commander of "Abuzar" Brigade, Five of His Comrades Martyred
Tehran - Saba: The Iranian Army announced on Sunday evening that the commander of the 71st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Abuzar), Brigadier General Ali Hossein Mohammadi, and five of his comrades martyred during a defensive mission on the country's western border. The Iranian Army's Public Relations stated that Brigadier General Mohammadi and his comrades were martyred while repelling an air attack launched by the usurping Zionist entity using drones on the "Naft Shahr" region. The Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted the Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, as saying that these heroes bravely confronted the aggression until the last breath, stressing that "the 71st "Abuzar" Brigade has been a symbol of resistance and courage since the days of the Sacred Defense, as it was the first and last brigade to confront the attacks of the Ba'athist enemy at that time." Brigadier General Heidari added, "The sons of this brave brigade, as in the past, today wrote another heroic epic in defense of the Islamic Republic, and ascended to the rank of martyrdom while confronting the treacherous aggression carried out by the criminal Zionist regime's drones." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive: Iranian Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Calls for Ceasefire
A portrait of Narges Mohammadi in Tehran on Feb. 5, 2025. Credit - Elham Abbasloo—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has long fought for freedom and human rights, even at the expense of her own. With her country now at war with Israel, Mohammadi called on her fellow activists to band together and call for a ceasefire. In an exclusive message to TIME from Iran, Mohammadi said that the outbreak of war, which began in the early morning of June 13, has forced millions of Iranians to leave their homes and caused damages to 'critical national infrastructure,' compounding an economic crisis its citizens already bore the brunt of. Mohammadi herself has left Tehran. 'The scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict,' Mohammadi writes. Read More: A New Middle East Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her women's rights advocacy in Iran. She is known for helping imprisoned activists, leading a campaign against the death penalty, and openly criticizing the Iranian regime's use of torture and sexualized violence. She has been arrested several times for her work, and sentenced to more than 36 years. Mohammadi was in prison when she became the Nobel Prize recipient in 2023, but she was furloughed in December 2024 for medical reasons. Mohammadi called on other Nobel laureates 'to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war.' Earlier, Mohammadi told the BBC that she could possibly return to prison for speaking publicly against the war, but she said she's 'not worried.' Mohammadi, alongside fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ehbadi and other prominent Iranian voices, wrote an op-ed earlier this week demanding a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program and an end to the attacks. Israel launched an attack on Iran saying it intends to stop the country from achieving the capability of producing a nuclear weapon. Hundreds are believed to have been killed in the strikes on Iran, which has retaliated by firing missiles into Israel, killing at least 24. Read Mohammadi's full statement below. To the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Human Rights Orgs, people of the world peace lovers, I urge you to take action to stop the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Six days have passed since the beginning of this horrific war. The violence is accelerating at a devastating pace, and the scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict. The growing fear that Israel may attack the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities adds terrifying uncertainty to the war. Millions of Iranian citizens have fled their homes. Amid crushing economic hardship and soaring inflation, they are unable to afford basic daily expenses and have sought refuge in other cities. The targeting of critical national infrastructure, the rising number of casualties, and the threat to evacuate the capital, Tehran, are deeply alarming. I call on you—Nobel Peace Prize laureates—to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war. Let us rise together to form a united, global front for the right to peace. The scope of war expands by the day. Its fire will not remain confined to the lands directly involved—it will cross borders and engulf the entire world. War casts a dark shadow over humanity's future—a darkness that cannot easily be erased from the eyes of humankind. Let us stand together—loudly, clearly—for peace and for an end to war. I demand an immediate halt to the war and the declaration of a ceasefire. — Narges Mohammadi 18th June 2025 Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Exclusive: Iranian Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Calls for Israel-Iran Ceasefire
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has long fought for freedom and human rights, even at the expense of her own. With her country now at war with Israel, Mohammadi called on her fellow activists to band together and call for a ceasefire. In an exclusive message to TIME from Iran, Mohammadi said that the outbreak of war, which began in the early morning of June 13, has forced millions of Iranians to leave their homes and caused damages to 'critical national infrastructure,' compounding an economic crisis its citizens already bore the brunt of. Mohammadi herself has left Tehran. 'The scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict,' Mohammadi writes. Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her women's rights advocacy in Iran. She is known for helping imprisoned activists, leading a campaign against the death penalty, and openly criticizing the Iranian regime's use of torture and sexualized violence. She has been arrested several times for her work, and sentenced to more than 36 years. Mohammadi was in prison when she became the Nobel Prize recipient in 2023, but she was furloughed in December 2024 for medical reasons. Mohammadi called on other Nobel laureates 'to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war.' Earlier, Mohammadi told the BBC that she could possibly return to prison for speaking publicly against the war, but she said she's ' not worried.' Mohammadi, alongside fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ehbadi and other prominent Iranian voices, wrote an op-ed earlier this week demanding a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program and an end to the attacks. Israel launched an attack on Iran saying it intends to stop the country from achieving the capability of producing a nuclear weapon. Hundreds are believed to have been killed in the strikes on Iran, which has retaliated by firing missiles into Israel, killing at least 24. Read Mohammadi's full statement below. To the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Human Rights Orgs, people of the world peace lovers, I urge you to take action to stop the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Six days have passed since the beginning of this horrific war. The violence is accelerating at a devastating pace, and the scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict. The growing fear that Israel may attack the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities adds terrifying uncertainty to the war. Millions of Iranian citizens have fled their homes. Amid crushing economic hardship and soaring inflation, they are unable to afford basic daily expenses and have sought refuge in other cities. The targeting of critical national infrastructure, the rising number of casualties, and the threat to evacuate the capital, Tehran, are deeply alarming. I call on you—Nobel Peace Prize laureates—to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war. Let us rise together to form a united, global front for the right to peace. The scope of war expands by the day. Its fire will not remain confined to the lands directly involved—it will cross borders and engulf the entire world. War casts a dark shadow over humanity's future—a darkness that cannot easily be erased from the eyes of humankind. Let us stand together—loudly, clearly—for peace and for an end to war.
