Exclusive: Over 30 Civil Activists Summoned in Shazand, Some Charged with 'Effective Incitement' of Armed Forces

A source informed Voice of America that on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, over 30 civil activists in 'Shazand County and the city of Astaneh' in Markazi Province have been summoned to judicial authorities. According to existing documents, some of these individuals are charged with 'effective incitement' of armed forces to 'rebellion and escape.' Based on reports received by the Persian section of Voice of America on Monday, September 4, these activists, who had 'cases' from last year and were all 'pardoned,' have had 'new cases' opened against them. Evidence obtained by Voice of America indicates that their cases have been sent to the 'First Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shazand County,' and 9 of these individuals received a notification on Sunday stating that a hearing will be held at '8 AM on September 10' in 'Building No. 1 of the judiciary' in this county. According to the indictment, these activists are accused of 'effectively inciting combatants or individuals serving in the armed forces to rebellion, escape, surrender, or failure to perform military duties and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' In recent months, Kamiar Mohin-Sa, an Iranian-Canadian police officer linked to several law enforcement officers in Iran, told Voice of America that 'protesting police are engaging in civil disobedience as much as they can at their workplaces' and 'desertions have increased significantly.' The informed source also told Voice of America that at least 30 more individuals in Shazand have been summoned under various titles, and some of them have been detained for '24 hours to two weeks,' and besides these individuals, 'there are many others we are unaware of.' This source emphasized that the detentions are intended to create 'terror' in the city, and 'mothers are worried all night about when they will be taken.' A person close to one of the detained civil activists in Shazand told Voice of America that 'he was beaten all night to extract a confession' that he had been in contact with 'hostile networks.' The informed source also stated that the detaining agency, likely the 'IRGC,' took him away 'with his eyes blindfolded' and inflicted 'a lot of beating' to extract a 'confession.' As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody approaches, pressure on civil activists, journalists, political prisoners, and families of the victims has increased. Recently, detainees at the grave of Mehrshad Shahidi, one of the victims of the nationwide protests in Arak, have been sentenced to six years in prison and 74 lashes in public during Friday prayers at the Arak mosque.