Gohar Eshghi Calls for an End to Oppression and Discrimination in Open Letter

Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti, a blogger and worker who was killed five years ago on November 4, 2012, in a cyber police detention center, has issued an open letter to the officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging them to address the oppression and injustice faced by certain ethnic groups and individuals before it is too late. In the letter, published on the occasion of the Shia holiday of Ghadir, Eshghi calls for an end to discrimination and oppression against ethnic minorities and religious minorities, including Kurds and Sunni Muslims in Iran. Eshghi also references the suffering endured by the family of Saeed Zinali, a student who was arrested during the events of July 9, 1999, and has never returned home. The letter states, "I kindly remind the leadership that before it is too late, release other Alireza Rajai from prisons, as even the heavens and the earth have cried out against your oppression." This refers to recent news and images regarding Alireza Rajai, a national-religious activist, journalist, and former political prisoner, who suffered from sinus cancer due to lack of medical care during imprisonment, ultimately losing part of his face and an eye after surgery. Eshghi writes, "As long as we remain silent in the face of Alireza Rajai's innocent face, we are complicit in this oppressive behavior." The letter also urges the Islamic Republic officials to focus on their own people instead of Syria and Lebanon, warning that tomorrow will be worse than today. Sahar Beheshti, Sattar Beheshti's sister, explained to Radio Farda that her mother wrote the letter on this date because Sattar Beheshti was killed in prison coinciding with the Shia holiday of Ghadir in 2012. The letter also mentions the recent hunger strike of political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison and the killing of two Kolbars (porters) by border guards. Sattar Beheshti was a young Iranian worker and blogger who was arrested on November 9, 2012, by the cyber police for "acting against national security through social media, particularly Facebook," and was tortured during interrogation in an unknown location. He died four days after his arrest during interrogation and was buried in Robat Karim, his place of residence. Catherine Ashton, the former EU foreign policy chief, met with several "women activists" during her visit to Iran, and Gohar Eshghi was one of the seven women she met. Benjamin Sadr has been professionally active in various Iranian newspapers since 2001 and joined Radio Farda's editorial team in 2013, where he has produced and hosted radio programs as well as a television program.