Narges Mohammadi Holds the Islamic Republic Responsible for the 'Murder' of Mohammad Mir Mousavi in Lahijan

Narges Mohammadi, a imprisoned human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, held the Islamic Republic responsible for the 'murder' of Mohammad Mir Mousavi under 'brutal torture by its agents' in the city of Lahijan and called for accountability from government officials. In a message posted on her Instagram account on Saturday, September 2, she criticized the government for its 'foolish and shameless' labeling of the killing of an innocent person under torture as an 'exception' and described the 'systematic deadly torture in detention centers' as a lack of control over the emotions and anger of its agents and 'excitement resulting from friction.' Recently, the news of the death of 36-year-old Mohammad Mir Mousavi from the village of Seyed Mahaleh, who was arrested by special forces during a local dispute, due to 'severe injuries' at the Langroud police station, made headlines. Following the widespread publication of videos showing numerous wounds on Mr. Mousavi's body in the media and social networks, the prosecutor of Lahijan announced the arrest of five individuals in connection with the case, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, asked the Minister of Interior to investigate the matter. In response to increased public outcry over this incident, the police announced the dismissal of the police chief of Lahijan on the morning of September 10. In her Instagram message, Ms. Mohammadi referred to the events of the 2021 protests and the government's treatment of protesters, questioning whether this is the same government that 'executed a young protester of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement for placing a trash can in the street as a civil protest and now claims that the catastrophic crime of its agents is due to a lack of control over their emotions and anger?' This human rights activist emphasized that the government has no understanding of the agonizing suffering of the defenseless people under oppression and questioned 'what do they understand about how hard people struggle in conditions of poverty, inflation, unemployment, and a myriad of untreated pains resulting from the government's thoroughly corrupt and discriminatory policies, raising their children to become hopeful young adults for their families, only to have their precious lives taken by government agents in torture chambers, on the gallows, or in the streets?' She further stated that the Islamic Republic has trampled on the principles of law, justice, dignity, and humanity, and that 'the relentless cruelty, callousness, and oppression of the government creates an exceptional spectacle for the history of humanity every day.' This Nobel Peace Prize laureate concluded by asserting that this spectacle, in which the government has turned into a 'gamble of life and death for us humans,' will ultimately result in a significant loss for the authoritarian religious government. Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to an additional year in prison in June 2023 for 'propaganda against the regime.' Over the past three years, she has been tried six times in revolutionary and criminal courts, receiving a total of 13 years and three months in prison, 154 lashes, exile, and a two-year travel ban. Narges Mohammadi has been tried and convicted four times for protesting, exposing, and narrating the sexual harassment and abuse by government agents. Nevertheless, she continues her activities even behind bars.