Formation of a 'Special Committee' on Nationwide Protests; Raisi Calls for 'Regular and Personal' Reports

Ebrahim Raisi has established a special committee to investigate the 'dimensions' of the nationwide protests in Iran during the second half of the year 1401 (2022) and has tasked this committee with sending 'regular' reports to 'him personally.' The nationwide protests, centered around the slogan 'Women, Life, Freedom,' began on September 16 following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody and have continued across all provinces of Iran. The purpose of forming this committee has been stated as 'technical and expert investigations by other relevant bodies and completing investigations' regarding these protests. This round of protests continues in some areas of Iran, including Zahedan. Some opponents of the Islamic Republic, including Prince Reza Pahlavi, consider the ongoing labor strikes in Iran as 'results of Mahsa's revolution' and assert that these 'livelihood' strikes are certainly not coincidental. According to a decree by Ebrahim Raisi, members of the 'Special Committee for Investigating the Unrest of 1401' have been introduced, including Hossein Mozaffar, Kazem Gharibabadi, Sakineh Sadat Pad, Zahra Elhian, and Hassan Safadoust. Among the programs claimed to be undertaken by this committee is 'compensating citizens' who have suffered 'material damages or moral injuries.' During this round of nationwide protests, over 500 people, including 71 children, have been killed; however, Islamic Republic officials have attributed the deaths of some of them to reasons such as 'underlying health conditions,' 'stroke,' 'fear,' and 'suicide.' Additionally, Iranian government officials hastily executed four protesters: Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, and Mohammad Hosseini, and dozens of other protesters remain at risk of execution. 'Pursuing the rights of the families of martyrs and victims,' and proposing 'legal gaps and regulations governing the freedom of peaceful assembly' have been stated as among the objectives of this committee. Furthermore, pressure on the families of those killed in the protests continues, but some plaintiffs, including the mother of Mohammad Hassan Torkaman, have explicitly stated that they will not remain silent. The nationwide protests in Iran in recent months have also manifested in other forms of civil disobedience, such as refusing to comply with mandatory hijab laws, which have faced severe governmental reactions. However, concurrently with the Islamic Republic's efforts, a significant number of women are appearing in public spaces without hijabs, stating that 'freedom is a daily practice.'