Exclusive; Rada Fatehi, sister of one of the victims of the protests: Arrests are a sign of the Islamic Republic's impotence

Rada Fatehi, the sister of the victim Ramin Fatehi, spoke to Voice of America on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, stating that the victims of the nationwide protests in 2022 are 'the children of Iran' and that 'the people have always been with us and will continue to be.' Rada Fatehi, who was also arrested alongside her brother, recounted in an exclusive interview with Manocher Pardel that on 'October 14, 2022,' she was subjected to a brutal attack by plainclothes agents of the intelligence in Sanandaj at her home and was arrested. Ramin Fatehi was arrested during the nationwide protests in Saqqez and later killed. His sister emphasized that her experience of arrest, 'despite the physical and psychological torture' inflicted on her and her family, is that 'I am more determined than ever to move forward.' Rada Fatehi added, 'They may be able to arrest and torture us, but they cannot divert us from our goal. Arrest and torture are signs of the impotence and inability of the dictatorial regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Rada Fatehi, referring to the threats and pressures on the families of the victims of last year's protests, stated, 'My family has also been summoned by the intelligence office and has been forced to commit not to participate in any ceremonies and has even been told that they are not allowed to leave the city.' She continued, 'Not only my family, but I have also seen other families of the victims summoned and forced to commit that they should not have any activity on social media. They have been summoned multiple times. Unaware that they want to harass these families, what do they want to do to the rest of the people?' This member of the Fatehi family emphasized that 'the people of Iran are all with us,' stating that 'these martyrs, our dear ones, do not belong only to my family or the families of friends' but 'they are the children of Iran.' On the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody and the nationwide protests during which around 500 protesters were killed by the Islamic Republic's forces, she stressed, 'All mothers of Iran are grieving. All sisters and brothers of Iran are grieving. I felt this myself, I saw it, we felt the presence of the people beside us, and we know that the people have always been with us and will continue to be.' In recent days, Ramtin, the son of Ramin Fatehi, also emphasized in a message to Voice of America the support of the people for the families of the victims, stating that the Islamic Republic 'feels a great danger' but must understand that 'it cannot stop millions of free people.' The emphasis by the families of the victims on the support of the Iranian people for them and the 'impotence and inability of the dictatorial regime of the Islamic Republic' comes as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously described the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests as the 'strongest, most dangerous, and serious' struggle against the Islamic Republic on a 'global' scale and warned of its recurrence on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.