The Number of Detainees in Gilan Cities Increases to Thirteen

The number of detainees in Gilan province has increased to 13. In this regard, Azizollah Maleki, the commander of the police force in Gilan, announced on Friday, August 18, the arrest of 12 men and women on charges of what he called 'actions against national security' in the province. According to ILNA news agency, Maleki did not mention the names of the detainees in recent days in the cities of Gilan province, stating that 'a significant amount of tools and equipment for crimes against the regime and communication devices with hostile networks were discovered and seized from the suspects' hideouts.' According to this Islamic Republic official, 'Public security police, upon receiving information about the criminal activities of several individuals in the cities of Rasht, Anzali, Fuman, and Lahijan in connection with the anniversary of last year's riots, prioritized this matter.' Previously, numerous reports and news about the arrest of several civil and labor activists, as well as family members of those killed and detained during last year's protests in Iran, have been published or reached Voice of America on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. Protests in Iran began after the death of Mahsa Amini, and many cities witnessed widespread demonstrations. The commander of the Gilan police described the charges against the detainees as 'conspiracy and collusion to commit crimes against the internal security of the country and propaganda activities against the regime in favor of hostile groups.' He did not mention the name of the prison or detention center for these 12 individuals, stating that 'police investigations' into the suspects are ongoing. The Gilan Information Office also stated on Thursday that 'this 12-member organizational team, which has a history of multiple anti-security activities during last year's riots, was identifying and gathering other individuals with previous records in those events and deceiving some young people to organize them, preparing the ground for riots and insecurity in Gilan province and some counties in Kurdistan province.' Security agencies and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic have accused political, labor, and civil activists of similar charges for decades; accusations that have always been denied by these activists and also by human rights organizations worldwide. Meanwhile, the Iran Human Rights Campaign, referring to what it calls 'a wave of arbitrary arrests of women's rights activists in Gilan,' emphasized that 'documenting each of these cases is essential for completing the UN fact-finding committee's process to expose the numerous human rights violations by the Islamic Republic.' 'Bidar Zani,' a media group of women's rights activists, previously announced that 12 women activists and one political activist were arrested by security forces on Wednesday and Thursday, August 16 and 17. According to this media, Jalveh Jahvari, Forough Samiinia, Matin Yazdani, Yasamin Hashedari, Negin Rezaei, Zahra Dadras, Zohreh Dadras, Vahedeh Khushsirat, Shiva Shahsiah, Sara Jahani, and Azadeh Chavoshian, along with Hooman Taheri, were arrested in the cities of Rasht, Lahijan, Fuman, and Bandar Anzali. Based on this report, the families of the detainees in Gilan province went to the Rasht Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office on Thursday to inquire about their status, but this prosecutor's office refused to provide any information about the arresting agency and their place of detention, asking families to return on Saturday, August 20. Bidar Zani added that the arrested activists are deprived of the right to make phone calls, which 'increases concerns about their health and personal safety.' Meanwhile, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization announced that 'four young citizens from Mahabad,' named Shirko Nasiri, Hiwa Shabank, Ashkan Rasouli, and Hedayat Khasteh, as well as two citizens from Oshnavieh named Shirvan Khezri and Ayoub Mirzaei, have also been arrested by security forces, thus raising the number of detainees in these two cities to over 15 in recent days. Additionally, the Iranian Retirees Council, in its Telegram channel, referred to 'a widespread assault on the eve of the anniversary of the biggest upheaval of the Iranian people; the Women, Life, Freedom Revolution,' stating that women, in open defiance of all oppressions, have risen cohesively and comprehensively in all areas of life, infuriating the government and will not take all threats, intimidation, and repression lightly with their unprecedented courage. This council noted that 'all those who have been taken captive are the children of the revolution, and we stand beside them,' and wrote: 'We see these arrests as part of the repression of all livelihood and freedom-seeking movements and strongly condemn it.'