The Revolutionary Court of Boukan Summons Matin Hosseini, an Eye Injury Victim from Protests

A human rights source reports that Matin Hosseini, an eye injury victim from the nationwide protests of 2019, has been summoned by the Boukan Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office on charges of 'propaganda against the regime' of the Islamic Republic. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, this young protester was previously arrested by government forces in Boukan, West Azerbaijan Province, in Bahman last year and was temporarily released on a one billion tomans bail after a month of interrogation. Matin Hosseini was arrested on Tuesday, Bahman 3, 1402, just two days after he was seen at the grave of Yalda Aghafazli. Yalda Aghafazli was a protester who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1401 and suspiciously died after being released from prison. According to the Dabban Legal Advice and Training Center, Matin Hosseini has previously shared images of his presence at the graves of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, Nika Shakerami, and Kian Pirfalak on social media. In July last year, he described the pain and burning sensation in his injured eye as unbearable and reported difficulties in getting appointments at medical centers. During the 1401 nationwide protests, he also shared a post related to laying flowers at Yalda Aghafazli's grave. In the course of the International People's Court for Aban 98, a member of the prosecution team cited evidence submitted to the court that reported the deliberate shooting of protesters in the eyes by Islamic Republic agents. According to Maryam Foomani, a human rights activist and researcher for the prosecution team of the International People's Court for Aban, between November 24 and 27, more than 70 people underwent surgery in one of Iran's specialized eye hospitals due to pellet gun injuries to their eyes. The International People's Court for Aban was held in London in 1400 in collaboration with three organizations: 'Iran Human Rights,' 'Justice for Iran,' and 'Together Against Execution' to pave the way for 'justice' for 'thousands of victims' of Aban 1398. The 2019 protests began on Friday, November 24, with the sudden announcement of a rise in gasoline prices and faced severe suppression from government forces. Reuters described the suppression of the November 98 protests as 'the bloodiest crackdown on protesters since the Islamic Revolution of 1979' and reported the death toll from this government crackdown as 1500 people. Targeting the eyes of protesters by Islamic Republic agents has been one of the methods of suppressing protests in recent years. During the 1401 nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police, dozens of protesters suffered eye injuries due to the deliberate shooting by government agents, with some becoming blind. According to reports from human rights organizations and international media, at least around six hundred protesters were targeted by pellet gun shots to their eyes last year.