Charges Filed Against 89 Residents of Likak Five Years After November 2019 Protests

89 residents of Likak, a city in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, who were arrested during the November 2019 protests and later released on bail, have been indicted in a joint case nearly five years later.

Branch 1 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Likak, presided over by Mehrdad Soltani, has charged these individuals with “disturbing public order,” “destruction,” and “arson of public and government property.” The investigating judge cited several pieces of evidence in issuing the indictment, including video reports from law enforcement, dozens of pages of reports from The Ministry of Intelligence’s office in Bahmai County, and confessions from the accused—though it remains unclear under what conditions these confessions were obtained.

Background on November 2019 Protests

The November 2019 protests were widespread demonstrations that began on Friday, November 15, 2019, in response to an unprecedented increase in gasoline prices. The protests occurred in dozens of cities across Iran, with an unprecedented number of protesters taking to the streets for several days. Mohammad Javad Kolivand, a representative from Karaj in Parliament, stated that these protests took place in 719 locations across the country. Seyyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the then-spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Parliament, reported that several thousand people were arrested during these protests. According to human rights organizations, hundreds of people lost their lives in the bloody aftermath of these events.

Arrests of Twelve Individuals in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province

On the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s tragic passing on September 16, security forces apprehended twelve individuals in various cities across Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, subsequently transferring them to undisclosed locations.

The detained individuals include Mostafa Mohammad-Hosseini, Benyamin Afra, Alireza Foroohar, Samad Pourshah, Sam Bijan-Nejad, Reza Moradi-Nejad, Amir Nategh (arrested in Yasuj), Farzaneh Moeini, Mohammad Moeini, Farhad Charamin, Dariush Parisaie (arrested in Dehdasht),  and Davoud Haddadi (arrested in Bahmai).

The current whereabouts of these individuals and the specific charges against them remain unknown. Notably, Benyamin Afra and Dariush Parisaie have previously encountered arrests and legal confrontations due to their activism during the nationwide protests in 2022.

It is essential to highlight that on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s tragic death while in detention, scattered protests unfolded in several cities across the country. Explore HRANA’s report on the events of this day.

Over 100 Citizens Arrested During Protests Against Local Election Results in Yasuj

The prosecutor of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province announced that more than 100 citizens were arrested on on Sunday, June 20, the day of local elections in Yasuj city.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tabnak News, the rally turned violent after security forces intervened.

Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Provincial Prosecutor Seyyed Ali Malek Hosseini stated, “On the day of the elections, we had more than 100 detainees aligned with different political views, groups, and families of candidates.”

Hosseini described the secret to success in the previous election cycle, and how the same principles had been applied to Sunday’s demonstrations.

“The key to success in the 2019 election was that the security was our first priority,” Hosseini said. “So we arrested the governor’s representative and closely observed officers of the ballot box.”

But not all agreed with these tactics. Fararo news website published a report that called the Yasuj local elections controversial. The report stated,  “The story of the controversial elections of the city locals in Yasuj stems from problems in the electronic voting system; the announcement of the list of election winners were delayed and suspicions of fraud were raised.”

The identities of the arrested citizens are still unknown.