Government's Suppression of Claimants; Fatemeh Heydari: You are Pressuring Us to Keep Silent Near My Brother's Anniversary

Fatemeh Heydari, sister of Javad Heydari, one of the victims of the nationwide protests in 2022, reported on Tuesday, September 7, about the pressure from government agents on her family as the anniversary of her brother's death approaches. She posted on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter): 'My brother Mohammad was arrested after Javad's fortieth day and was fired from his job; then, his two-year-old son Delvan was also arrested.' Fatemeh Heydari, whose brother was killed in Qazvin, added in her post: 'Now they have also fired his wife, Frank Karimi, who is a nurse, and told her: Why did Javad participate in the protests? You killed my brother, and now you are pressuring us to keep silent, you poor souls?' As the anniversary of the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini and the nationwide protests in Iran approaches, pressure on the families of the deceased and civil and political activists, as well as the fabrication of cases against them by government and judicial authorities, has intensified. Arasham Rezai, a constitutional activist, reported an 'assault' by 12 government agents 'disguised as electricity company officials' on his mother's house with the intention of arresting her. Mr. Rezai, a former political prisoner, stated that on Tuesday, September 7, agents of the 'IRGC Intelligence' introduced themselves as 'electricity company officials' when they visited his mother's house, saying they seized 'all identity documents and bank cards' and took them away. Following the arrest of four members of the family of Hananeh Kia, a relative of this deceased protester in Mazandaran, it was reported to VOA that the forces of the Islamic Republic, after the arrests, on Tuesday, broke down the door and searched Hananeh's parents' house. Hussein Kia, a relative of Hananeh Kia, emphasized in an interview with VOA on Tuesday, September 6, that the pressure on the families of the deceased and the arrest of claimants is due to their 'social authority' among the people, especially as the anniversary of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's death and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' revolution approaches. Meanwhile, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, HRANA, reported on Friday, September 2, citing a source close to the family of Leila Mahdavi, that agents searched this mother claimant's house on Wednesday and seized 'some personal belongings including her mobile phone.' Leila Mahdavi is the mother of Siavash Mahmoudi, a 16-year-old who was shot dead during the nationwide protests in Tehran on September 30 last year. Previously, Nasrin Alizadeh, Faramarz Barahoui, and Mahsa Yazdani had also been arrested amid the ongoing pressure on claimant families as the anniversary of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's death and the beginning of nationwide protests approached. On Tuesday, Mashallah Karimi, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karimi and his lawyer in Alborz province, were also arrested. The father of one of the deceased told VOA last Tuesday that the security officials of the Islamic Republic have threatened claimant families that if they see them outside in public places on the anniversary of Mahsa (Zhina), there will be severe consequences. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, stated on July 18 in response to a question from a VOA Persian reporter that the Islamic Republic has not learned from recent protests. The cases of two journalists, Nasim Soltanbeigi and Saeedeh Shafiei, have been sent to the appeals court. The lawyer for Mehdi Yarahai stated that there is no news of his arrest; the publication of his arrest photo is 'illegal.' The killing of two protesters; a source informed VOA that the 'revolution' continues in Izeh and Abdanan. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the health of political prisoners; the Islamic Republic is preventing medical care. Installation of 'city cameras' in the Aichi cemetery in Saqez ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. Shaker Bouri: The hardest thing I am experiencing these days is silence. Hundreds of civil and women's rights activists condemned the recent arrests in a statement. In memory of Mahsa Amini; Mojgan Eftekhari: A year has passed since the ascension of 'Zhina of my heart and soul.' No news about the situation of detainees in Gilan; the mother of Houman Taheri: My child is deprived of contact. Exclusive; the brother of Mohammad Hajirasouli, one of the deceased protesters: We will not rest until freedom is achieved. A joint text from claimant families, coinciding with summons and pressures: You cannot make us stateless. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions: The arrests are a sign of the regime's panic.