Human Rights Sources: At Least 6 Citizens Arrested by the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence

The arrest of civil activists continues on the second anniversary of the nationwide protests of 1401, with human rights sources reporting the detention of at least six citizens, including a 16-year-old teenager, on Wednesday, September 28. According to the Halosh website, Amir Mohammad Irandegani, a 16-year-old from Khash, was arrested by intelligence agents in Urmia. The report states that the arrest of this teenager took place at the home of one of Irandegani's relatives, and he was transferred to the intelligence detention center in Zahedan after his arrest, but there is no information available regarding the reason for his arrest or the charges against him. Simultaneously, the Kurdpa news agency reported that four citizens residing in Divandareh in Kurdistan province were arrested by the Islamic Republic's intelligence forces in this city and taken to an unknown location. According to this report, Salah Fathi and Mani Mohammadi were arrested on Tuesday, September 27, and Amanj Ahmadi, along with an individual named Pouya with an unspecified last name, were arrested on Monday, September 26, for unknown reasons and taken to an unknown location. Additionally, Kolbernews reported that Sina Mohammadi, a sociology student at Kurdistan University, was arrested by intelligence forces in Dehgolan on Wednesday, September 28. Sina Mohammadi was also violently arrested at his home by security forces for unknown reasons and transferred to an unknown location. Judicial and intelligence officials of the Islamic Republic have increased pressure on the families of the bereaved and political and civil activists on the second anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Amini and the nationwide protests during which government forces killed at least 500 protesters. The arrest of political and civil activists and citizens in various regions of Iran has intensified in recent weeks, coinciding with the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the beginning of nationwide protests. Mahsa (Zhina) Amini died a few days after being arrested by the morality police on September 25, 1401, in Kowsar Hospital in Tehran, and her death triggered widespread protests across Iran that continued for months in the streets, universities, and schools. During the suppression of the nationwide protests of 1401 by government forces, hundreds of citizens were killed, and thousands were injured and arrested. Furthermore, less than three months after the start of the peaceful nationwide protests, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic began executing a number of detained protesters. The judiciary has executed Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mahdi Karami, Mohammad Hosseini, Saleh Mirhashimi, Saeed Yaqoubi, Majid Kazemi, Milad Zahrawand, Mohammad Qobadlu, and Reza Rasai, among those arrested during the nationwide protests of 1401, and several other protesters remain at risk of execution. Concurrently with the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the onset of the nationwide protests of 1401, Abram Paley, the Deputy Special Representative of the United States for Iran, stated in an exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the Biden administration will continue to support the people of Iran and hold the Islamic Republic accountable. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has called for action against the violent suppression of protesters in Iran by the government. The European Union has also called for accountability for those responsible for violence and human rights violations in Iran on the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. A joint statement from the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K. on the second anniversary of Mahsa's death expressed solidarity with Iranian women and girls.