Increased Pressure on Families Seeking Justice; Somayeh Sari Khani Dashti Fired from Work

Continuing the pressure on families seeking justice, Somayeh Sari Khani Dashti, a mother seeking justice, was fired from her job. The mother of Erfan Sari Khani Dashti, one of the victims of the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests, announced on Saturday, July 23, in a note on her Instagram page that she was fired from her job at a medical equipment company. She cited her identification on the social media platform Instagram as the reason for her dismissal, stating: "I was fired from the medical equipment company today for the crime of being seen and recognized on Instagram." This mother seeking justice further added: "They all wore black, all the walls had the name Hossein on them. I am disgusted by you." Erfan Sari Khani Dashti, a 22-year-old protester residing in Tehran, went missing on October 18, 2022, amid the nationwide "Women, Life, Freedom" protests. His lifeless body was found on October 21 in the vicinity of Jajroud, with a broken nose and face. So far, many members of families seeking justice have faced government harassment, including summons and arrests, or have been fired from their jobs and educational institutions. For instance, Omid and Zahra Saidi Anjou, the brother and sister of the seeker of justice Milad Saidi Anjou, reported their summons to the prosecutor's office in Izeh, Khuzestan province, in April of this year. The "harassment" of the families of the victims of the nationwide protests by the security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic has been repeatedly criticized by human rights organizations. The 13-month and 15-day prison sentence of the father of seeker of justice Pouya Bakhtiari was upheld in the appeals court. Five political prisoners in Qazalhesar demanded the immediate release of Nahid Shirpiseh and Rezvaneh Ahmadkhani. Increased pressure on seekers of justice; Reza Babernajad was re-arrested five days after his temporary release. Kamal Lotfi was deprived of medical services and denied the right to visit Susan Hassan Zadeh; pressure on political prisoners continues. The "violent" arrest of a member of the families seeking justice in Boukan.