He’s just a writer. But in a country where the regime wants to control what the people think, writers are capital criminals. The Iranian authorities believe he has engaged in “propaganda against the regime” and defied the ban on gatherings “against national security”. – This judgment came only because of my writing activities, he tweeted himself. Tavakoli is one of the most famous dissidents in Iran, and has spent seven years in prison. Some protesters have shown resistance by cutting off their hair, which is highly symbolic in Iran. Photo: AP He became known as one of the student leaders during the protests that followed the presidential election in 2009, and was arrested again shortly after the protests against the regime began last September. Tavakoli won the Students’ Peace Prize in 2012 and was called “young and fearless” by Jonas Gahr Støre. – I share Støre’s descriptions where he refers to Tavakoli as a fearless person who has shown that he dares and will stand up for his own opinions, says Foreign Minister Huitfeldt. – I strongly request Iran to recognize Majid Tavakoli’s right to speak, and to revoke the prison sentence. Imprisoned for shouting slogans The latest wave of demonstrations in Iran started when Jina “Mahsa” Amini died after being arrested by the morality police. They thought she was wearing the hijab wrong. Several thousand Iranians have been arrested during the protests, and several hundred have been killed. Among these are also police officers. At the same time, the resistance struggle has several faces. One of them is activist Sepideh Qolian (28), who works for workers’ rights in Iran. This week she was due to defend herself in a court hearing broadcast on state television. By showcasing the trial, the regime was able to demonstrate that resistance activism is met with punishment. But the meeting and the TV broadcast were canceled after Qolian refused to cover her hair in the courtroom. Sepideh Qolian shouts slogans against the Iranian dictator after 4 years and 7 months in prison. Tehran, Iran. It is the second time in a short time that she has been imprisoned by the authorities in Iran. The first time was in March, when Qolian, after four years and seven months in prison, shouted slogans against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This happened while she was about to be released. “This time I come out with hope for Iran’s freedom!” she tweeted before being kidnapped and re-imprisoned for the slogans. In the tweet, Qolian also wrote that she hopes for the release of political prisoners, and she mentioned several names, including Bahareh Hedayat (42). From reform to revolution Hedayat, like Tavakoli, was a well-known student leader. She has received the Swedish Edelstam prize and was a supporter of the Iranian reform movement. But like most Iranians, she no longer believes in reforms under the current regime. She believes that revolution is necessary and inevitable. Human rights activist Bahareh Hedayat believes that revolution is costly and dangerous, but inevitable. Photo: Privat After the first protester, Mohsen Shekari, was executed last December, she wrote a letter from prison about the conditions in Iran and the changes in the Iranian public will. – Getting rid of this criminal regime will certainly be expensive and dangerous, but we have no other option but to pay the costs and face the dangers. – This power structure is not able to absorb new social forces. This month, the morality police resumed their patrols to catch the growing number of women ditching head coverings and defying the country’s strict dress code. More brutality awaits – Oppression increases as the media looks away. We see it now with the verdicts against Tavakoli and Bayegan, and with the moral police once again visible on the streets. Storting President Masud Gharahkhani believes that brutality in Iran has increased and asks the media to think about Iran coverage. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB This is what Storting President Masud Gharahkhani, who was born in Iran, says. In September, it will be one year since Mahsa Amini died and the latest wave of demonstrations began. In the coming time, it is expected that resistance activism will increase. An overview from The Foundation for Defense of Democracies shows that in the period 13–20 July there were 73 demonstrations in Iran. This is an increase of 30 percent from the previous week. – Since increased activity and greater brutality is expected, I encourage Norwegian newsrooms to think about the Iran coverage, says Gharahkhani.
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Huitfeldt requests that the sentence be overturned – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
