Human rights activists accuse Iran’s Islamic regime of preparing secret funerals for people killed during massive protests in the country in recent weeks.
“Last night, after Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces attacked the Shahid Gholi Pur Hospital in Bukan, they seized the body of Shahryar Mohammadi and secretly buried him,” the Norway-based Hengaw group said in a statement this week. Saturday (19).
“These forces opened fire on your family [de Mohammadi] and injured at least five people,” added the organization, known for exhibiting regime abuses, particularly in Kurdish areas.
The secret burials of dead protesters, according to activists, take place to prevent their funerals from further fueling the protests. The demonstrations are already the biggest movement against the regime since 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution.
On Monday (14), for example, still according to Hengaw, a 44-year-old man was secretly buried by the regime days after being killed by blows from Iranian soldiers’ truncheons.
According to a report obtained by the organization, Hamid Goli’s funeral would take place at a cemetery in the city of Sanandaj on Monday afternoon. The regime, however, seized the victim’s body and scheduled the burial for the evening of the same day, authorizing only a few family members to accompany the ceremony.
Goli reportedly died on October 27 of a cerebral hemorrhage. According to his death certificate, he fractured his skull and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after being hit with a hard object. A photograph released by Hengaw shows the man’s head with fractures and beating marks.
According to the NGO Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), 402 people have already died during the protests, which began after the death of Mahsa Amini in September. Among the victims, according to the organization, are 58 children and adolescents. Another 16,800 people were arrested, with some sentenced to death.
State media only report that 46 members of the country’s security forces died during the demonstrations.
This Saturday, thousands of Iranians gathered in demonstrations in at least 20 colleges in the capital Tehran and in other major cities in the country, including Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz. Only this Saturday, activists recorded the death of at least three protesters in the northwest of the country – they would have been the target of firearms fired by security forces.
The Islamic regime now fears that the demonstrations will gain support from unions and other labor organizations. It was precisely a combination of mass protests and strikes by traders and oil workers that contributed to the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.
On Saturday, the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the West could try to mobilize workers. “Until this time, thank God, the enemies have been defeated. But they have a new trick every day, and with today’s defeat, they can target different classes, such as workers and women,” he told an state television station.
So far, the few strikes that have joined the protests have been limited and only demanded changes related to wages and working conditions, not necessarily an end to Islamic laws in the country.
As a way to contain the movement, the Justice of Iran recently condemned five protesters to death and said it will bring to trial more than 2,000 people indicted for disturbances.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
