A Comprehensive Report of the First 82 days of Nationwide Protests in Iran

  HRANA – Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old young woman, was arrested by the morality police for the crime of improper hijab. Her arrest and death in detention fueled nationwide protests in Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws, and structure of the regime. The following 486-page report is dedicated to the statistical review, analysis, and summary of the first eighty-two days of the ongoing protests (September 17 to December 7, 2022). In this report, in addition to the geographic analysis and the presentation of maps and charts, the identity of 481 deceased, including 68 children and teenagers, an estimated of 18,242 arrested along with the identity of 3,670 arrested citizens, 605 students and 61 journalists or activists in the field of information is compiled. In addition, the report includes a complete collection of 1988 verified video reports by date and topic. The report examines protests across 1115 documented gatherings in all 31 provinces of the country, including 160 cities and 143 universities.

Summary

Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a young 22-year-old woman from Saqqez, Kurdistan was visiting Tehran, when she was taken into custody on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, by the Morality Police officers at the Haqqani metro station in Tehran. The reason for her arrest: not properly observing the strict Islamic dress code. Mahsa/Zhina was taken to the infamous detention center of Moral Security Police known as Vozara.
Shortly after Mahsa’s arrest, she went into a coma with level three concussion, and her partially alive body was transferred to the intensive care unit of Kasra Hospital. Given the track record of the police and Guidance Patrols in mistreating the arrestees and similar previous incidents, with the believe that Mahsa was beaten during the arrest people were outraged.

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Unpersuasive explanations given by the Central Command of the Islamic Republic Police Force (FARAJA) in defense of its actions regarding the death of Mahsa, the past performance of the police force, along with widespread dissatisfaction with the existence of a body called the Moral Security Police, fueled widespread protests in Iran.
The widespread protests sparked at the time Mahsa Amini was announced dead in front of Kasra Hospital on Argentina Street in Tehran, and then quickly spread to the streets despite the intimidating presence of Iran’s security forces. The protests intensified after Mahsa’s burial in a Saqqez cemetery. To the extent that after eighty-two days of nationwide protests between September 17, 2022, to December 7, 2022, they have spread to Iran’s all 31 provinces, 160 cities, and 143 major universities.
The protests did not stay limited to Mahsa’s death, it rather, quickly targeted the Iranian government’s political and ideological foundations. These protests were violently quashed by the anti-riot police and Iran’s militia force (Basij). teargas, pellets, and live ammunition were used in the repression of protestors. This widespread crackdown has led to the death of dozens of people and the wounding of hundreds of protestors.
Despite sever communication restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic, this report attempts to give a clearer picture of the first 82 days of the protests between September 17, to December 7, 2022. It’s worth mentioning at the time of this report the protests are still ongoing in various forms.

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For further inquiries please contact Skylar Thompson, Senior Advocacy Coordinator Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) at [email protected]

Seven Inmates Eexecuted in Zabol, Ilam, Zahedan and Rasht Prisons

On January 20, two inmates on death row for drug-related crimes were executed in Zabol Prison. On the same day, three inmates in Ilam Prison and one in Rasht Prison, all convicted for murder, were executed. One inmate also was executed in Zahedan Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Hal Vash, 40 year old Jamal-e-din Gorgij and 34 year old Parviz Akbari Rad were executed in Zabol Prison. In 2018, Rad was arrested by road police near Zabol City. During the arrest, he was shot in the left hand. In 2020, the Revolutionary Court of Zabol sentenced him to death for drug trafficking.

In 2019, Gorgij was arrested for drug-related crimes in Zabol and sentenced to death the next year by the Revolutionary Court of Zabol.

In this report, on the same day, another inmate identified as Abdolhamid Samalzehi Kurni age 40, was executed in Zahedan Prison. He was sentenced to death two years ago. The verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Kurdpa reported that three inmates identified as Hamed Manoochehri, Mohammad Karim-Nejad and Sobhan Shoohani were executed in Ilam Central Prison. All three have previously been convicted for murder.

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported another execution in Rasht Central Prison. This inmate has been identified as 55 year old Ali Yazdani, who was convicted for murder. Reportedly, he was sent to the gallows along with another inmate on death row identified as Mohsen Nouruzi. Nouruzi was sent back to prison after he could get a moratorium from the victim’s family at the last moment.

The most recent report from the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between January 1 of 2020 and December 20 of 2021, at least 299 citizens, including four juvenile offenders, were executed. In addition, 85 citizens were sentenced to death in this period.