Narges Mohammadi's Reaction to the Deadly Explosions in Kerman: 'Security' Cannot Be Sustained Without Freedom

Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, reacted from Evin Prison to the deadly explosions on the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's death in Kerman, stating: 'Security, without freedom, justice, and democracy, is neither realized nor sustainable.' This human rights activist wrote in a message published on accounts attributed to her that 'while the Islamic Republic claimed to have destroyed ISIS in the region with exorbitant and unlimited expenses, and that Iran is a stable and secure country, ISIS has carried out successive deadly operations in the heart of Iran.' The published text states that 'in contrast, the Islamic Republic, with its propaganda of a strategy of severe revenge and relentless repression, hangs individuals whose cases indicate a lack of fair trial and legal evidence, solely based on confessions obtained under torture in solitary confinement.' According to Narges Mohammadi, this incident has heightened human rights defenders' concerns about the continuation and acceleration of this trend and the jeopardy facing the lives of death row prisoners. Based on the published text, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner condemned the explosions in Kerman as 'terroristic' and simultaneously condemned the execution of hundreds of individuals in the Islamic Republic's prisons. Narges Mohammadi, born in 1972 in Zanjan, has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned over the past two decades. She is currently imprisoned for her human rights activities in Iran and received the Nobel Peace Prize last year. On Wednesday, January 3, during the commemoration of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force who was killed by the US in 2020, two explosions occurred, resulting in nearly 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries. In this context, several US intelligence sources told Reuters that information and evidence collected by the United States indicate that 'ISIS Khorasan' based in Afghanistan is responsible for the two deadly explosions in Iran on Wednesday. The Islamic Republic claimed on Friday that security forces had arrested 11 suspects involved in the attack. The 'Islamic State' (ISIS) announced in a statement published on Thursday, January 4, on Telegram channels affiliated with the group that two ISIS members detonated their 'explosive belts' among a crowd gathered on Wednesday for Soleimani's anniversary at the Kerman cemetery.