Golrokh Iraei, Political Prisoner, Criticizes 'Betrayal of Reformists': You Use the People as 'Cannon Fodder' for Your Return to Power

Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, a political prisoner, in a message from the women's ward of Evin Prison ahead of the early presidential elections in Iran to replace Ebrahim Raisi, stated that the people of Iran remember the 'betrayal of the reformists' from the very first day. This message comes as some government reformists have announced their support for Masoud Pezeshkian among the six candidates approved by the Islamic Republic, filtered through the Guardian Council under Ali Khamenei's oversight. In her message published on Sunday, June 17, on an Instagram page attributed to Golrokh Iraei, she emphasized: 'The reformists should know that we, the people of Iran, remember their betrayal from the very first day. We do not forget the consolidation of the power of the Islamic Republic and the catastrophic massacre of youth in the 1980s, during the days when you Hezbollahis and Imam Line supporters were at the helm.' In her message, Golrokh Iraei referred to issues such as the 'Cultural Revolution and the expulsion and house arrest of students and professors, prioritizing ignorance over merit; massacres, torture, rape, forcing political prisoners to execute their friends in the prisons of the 1980s, and chain murders,' which she claims were perpetrated by reformists and their 'agents' in the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic. She also referred to events in the 1990s during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, addressing the reformists: 'When nearly a thousand people were slaughtered in the chain murders over several years, you became mere logistics personnel to evade accountability, and when young people were attacked in the university district, you withdrew your support for them on the streets and in prisons so that they could be slaughtered by the Ansar Hezbollah and thrown from rooftops, going missing while their survivors were sentenced to long-term imprisonment.' Golrokh Iraei also spoke about the widespread protests of 2009, stating that the reformists orchestrated the events of that year to return to power, and when the protests on Ashura that year 'went beyond the silence marches and the slogans crossed the reformists' predetermined boundaries,' they abandoned the people to be killed, sentenced to execution, and tortured in prisons. According to Golrokh Iraei, from the perspective of reformists, 'the people in the streets have always been cannon fodder'; she added: 'We, the people in the streets, have always been your cannon fodder to exert pressure from below while you negotiate from above to hopefully regain your power.' The next presidential election of the Islamic Republic, which many consider to be 'appointments' and a display or 'election circus,' will be held early on July 8 to determine the president of the fourteenth government following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Additionally, see: Introduction of six candidates 'considered by the Guardian Council'; reactions: the introduction of 'election circus players' indicates a tightening circle of Khamenei's close associates. Previously, several political figures emphasized that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Alireza Zakani, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh, the six candidates to succeed Raisi, are all agents of the Islamic Republic in opposition to the Iranian people. Also see: Reactions of opposition figures to the 'election circus': the response of Iranians is a decisive 'no.' Islamic Republic officials have criminalized expressing opposition to the elections and boycotting them, warning citizens against republishing such news and conducting polls. According to the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, Hrana, this political prisoner was sentenced on April 13 of last year by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by 'Iman Afshari,' to six years in prison for 'gathering and collusion' and one year for 'propaganda against the regime.' Her supplementary punishment includes 'two years of travel ban, two years of prohibition from being in Tehran, two years of prohibition from attending parties, groups, and associations, and confiscation of her mobile phone.' Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraei, who had previously been sentenced to five years in prison for 'insulting sacred values and propaganda against the Islamic Republic,' was released in May 2022 but was arrested again on October 4 during the nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the Guidance Patrol and was transferred to the women's ward of Evin Prison on December 8.