Faezeh Hashemi: The System Has Experienced Content Collapse, Everywhere You Look is Ineffective

Faezeh Hashemi, a former parliament member and political activist, stated that the Islamic Republic system has undergone a content collapse, and if a physical collapse has not yet occurred, it is because people are concerned about who will come to power after the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Fereshteh Saeimi from the newspaper 'Mostaghel', published on Thursday, January 6, she said: 'From my perspective, a content collapse has occurred, and only an apparent and physical collapse has not yet happened, and I strongly suspect that this will happen. Whether right or wrong, the foundations of the government are solid, mainly through intimidation and the fears they create.' However, she noted that the Islamic Republic government does not confront protesters in the streets violently as it did in 2009, but still issues severe sentences such as expulsion from work and education. She added, 'Currently, in every sector you see, there are activists from that area in prison. From workers to teachers, truck drivers, women and environmental activists, students, and various economic activists who are either in prison or have sentences to serve.' Hashemi stated, 'Given this high pressure and the confrontations that take place, and the concern that if these people go, what will happen next, the possibility of physical collapse is low, but from a content perspective, this collapse has occurred because everywhere you look is ineffective. Wherever you touch is devoid of management and planning. Everything is abandoned; there is no thought to solve problems, or if there is, it worsens instead of improving, and no signs of improvement are visible.' Faezeh Hashemi, the second daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former head of the Expediency Discernment Council, was imprisoned for six months after the 2009 elections. Two years ago, a court in Tehran sentenced Faezeh Hashemi to six months in prison for an interview regarding the 'personal' bank accounts of the head of the judiciary. Regarding participation in the upcoming presidential elections, she expressed her own ambiguity, asking, 'Should we go vote again? Should we be active again? The obstacles that reformists have faced and their own performance have not been commendable. What is the benefit of an election if the appointments and methods do not align with this vote? Since 2013, have we achieved any practical results from this vote?' She further discussed the reformists' support for Hassan Rouhani's government, stating that Rouhani's government emerged from the reformist movement but has strayed from reformist criteria and voter demands in his second term. Hashemi added that Rouhani might claim he was never a reformist, which is correct, as he is considered a principlist, but 'he still has a duty to be committed to reformist goals.' In this interview, Faezeh Hashemi emphasized that she only considers the 'national-religious' movement as the only reformist movement in Iran because 'from the very beginning of the revolution, they stood firm on their principles and advanced thoughts, and unlike this group that was eliminated and many others, including Mr. Montazeri, they did not back down for the sake of staying in power.'