Shirin Ebadi and Mohammad Maleki Call for Continued Protests in Iran

Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has called for civil disobedience and nationwide protests in Iran, while Mohammad Maleki, a prominent opposition figure within Iran, has urged protesters to continue their demonstrations and strikes using 'creative methods.' According to Reuters, Ebadi stated in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that people must remain in the streets, as the constitution grants them this right. The recent protests began last Thursday following a 'No to Price Hikes' gathering in Mashhad's Shohada Square, quickly spreading to other cities in Iran, where slogans took on a political tone, with protesters chanting anti-government and anti-Supreme Leader slogans. In response to these protests, government supporters also demonstrated in several Iranian cities on Wednesday and Thursday. Reuters reports that Ebadi, a critic of the regime and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2003, has called for people to refrain from paying their utility bills and taxes. She has also urged citizens to withdraw their money from banks to pressure the government to meet their demands without resorting to violence. Ebadi told Asharq Al-Awsat, 'If this government has not listened to you for 38 years, you should not listen to what the government says now.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Maleki, a nationalist political activist and staunch opponent of the Islamic Republic, praised the nationwide protests against poverty, oppression, and corruption, emphasizing that a regime built on 'oppression, corruption, and theft' will eventually fall to the people's uprising. Maleki provided seven recommendations to protesters, including pursuing a referendum under international supervision to determine the desired system as the 'ultimate demand.' He advised protesters to avoid the influence of opportunistic and violent individuals often organized by the government, to expel saboteurs from their ranks, and to make every effort to avoid violence. He also urged protesters not to heed the words of 'deceivers and pseudo-intellectuals' and to remove violence and death, which he described as the 'legacy of the velayat system,' from their slogans. This prominent political activist reminded protesters to learn from the past, trust in their power, and continue their movement until complete victory. Following six days of nationwide protests in Iran, which turned violent in some cities, at least 22 people have been killed, and hundreds more have been arrested. The highest casualties have been reported in the provinces of Isfahan, Lorestan, and Hamadan, where, according to Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC has intervened. The IRGC commander linked the recent protests to foreign countries, stating that 'America, the Zionists, and Al Saud have sworn to take revenge on Iran.' On Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei, in his first reaction to the recent protests, attributed the unrest to 'Iran's enemies.' Jafari further stated that 'anyone who was in the middle of the scene during these recent days was a rioter and a foreign agent.' On Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, also attributed the recent protests to 'Iran's enemies.'