Increased Pressures Ahead of Mahsa's Anniversary; Reza Norouzi and Hossein Hosseinpour Arrested

Reza Norouzi, a constitutionalist political activist, and Hossein Hosseinpour, a victim of the deliberate shooting of security forces in the eyes of protesters, have been arrested. Yashar Tabrizi, a constitutionalist political activist, announced on Thursday via a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Reza Norouzi was arrested 'a few moments ago' when agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided his home in Sarasiab Malard and transferred him to 'an unknown location.' According to Yashar Tabrizi, Mr. Norouzi had been living 'in hiding' for some time and had returned home 'for a moment' to see his family. Additionally, 'plainclothes forces' of the Islamic Republic arrested Hossein Hosseinpour, a victim of the deliberate shooting in the protests against the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, on Wednesday evening. Journalist Hadieh Kimiayi reported on X that Hossein Hosseinpour was arrested on the road from Nourabad Mamassani to Gachsaran. Ms. Kimiayi quoted a source close to Hossein Hosseinpour's family, stating that he did not take his eye drops with him and under these conditions, he is unable to see with both eyes. In recent weeks, as the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in the custody of the Islamic Republic's morality police approaches, pressures on the families of human rights activists and the families of victims have intensified, and several of them have been arrested. In this regard, relatives of some of the victims of the 2021 protests have told Voice of America that the intelligence agencies responsible for suppressing the protests have warned the families of the deceased not to be present in public places on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini. Furthermore, Amjad Amini, Mahsa Amini's father, informed the Persian section of Voice of America about holding a memorial for his daughter, stating: 'To honor the name and memory of the martyr and innocent Zhina (Mahsa) and to bring comfort to the family, relatives, and all her supporters, we intend to hold a memorial this year. However, given the circumstances, we cannot officially invite people to the ceremony or tell them not to attend.'