Exclusive; Brother of Mohammad Hajirassouli, a Victim of Protests: We Will Not Rest Until Freedom is Achieved

Hiwa Hajirassouli, brother of Mohammad Hajirassouli, one of the victims of the protests against the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, stated in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the families of the victims will not rest until freedom is achieved and will not allow "the blood of our martyrs" to be wasted. He said that the "Islamic Republic regime" has failed in its efforts to suppress the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and is becoming "weaker day by day." In an interview with Manoochehr Pordel, he mentioned that although the regime has put immense pressure on the families of the martyrs to cease their quest for justice, the people themselves have honored their memories by holding ceremonies at their loved ones' graves without the families' knowledge. He praised the solidarity among Iranian ethnic groups, asserting that their unity will continue until their goals are achieved. In a previous exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America, Hiwa Hajirassouli stated that his brother Mohammad was released on bail after being imprisoned for two weeks due to illness and was transferred to a hospital in Tabriz. According to him, Mohammad's health improved after two weeks in the hospital but he was returned to prison and tortured. Meanwhile, a group of families of victims from recent protests released a joint statement on their social media accounts in response to summons and pressures from the judicial and security institutions of the Islamic Republic, stating: "We swear by the blood of our comrades, we stand until the end." Additionally, as the anniversary of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's death approaches, and amid ongoing security pressures on the families seeking justice, Leila Mahdavi, mother of Siavash Mahmoudi, was summoned to Evin Court after her home was searched and her mobile phone confiscated. In this context, the father of one of the victims told Voice of America that security officials have threatened the families seeking justice that if they are seen in public on the anniversary of Mahsa, there will be severe consequences. In recent days, several members of these families seeking justice, including Mashallah Karami, Nasrin Alizadeh, Faramarz Barahoui, and Mahsa Yazdani, have been arrested, and others have been summoned to judicial authorities. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on July 18 in response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America that the Islamic Republic has not learned from the recent protests.