Two Imprisoned Labor Activists: The Murder of Dissenters and Artists is an Old and Familiar Tradition

Reza Shahabi and Keyvan Mohtadi, two imprisoned labor activists, wrote in a letter from Evin Prison in response to the murder of Dariush Mehrjui, a filmmaker, and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, a screenwriter: "We cannot forget that the murder of dissenters and artists in our history is an old and familiar tradition; from Mirzadeh Eshqi to Saeed Soltanpour, from the chain murders of Dariush Forouhar and Parvaneh Eskandari to the deliberate crime against Bakhtash Abtin." They emphasized in this letter, which began with a quote from Houshang Golshiri at the burial of Mohammad Mokhtari, one of the victims of the chain murders, who said: "The message has reached us clearly... we will suffocate you," that "unavoidably, the horrific murder of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, falls within this painful history." According to the Telegram channel of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, a part of this letter published on Tuesday, October 17, stated: "Naturally, there will be no transparency from the regime's loudspeakers, just as we have not witnessed a shred of transparency or humanity regarding Zhina Amini and Armita Garavand." These two political prisoners believe that the brutal murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi Far once again highlighted that "in the current situation, there is no security, not even personal security for dissenters." They argue that "essentially, most of us are not considered citizens enough for our lives to be worth protecting, and the loss of our lives bears no consequences or responsibilities for those who ordered and executed it." Shahabi and Mohtadi also called on the artistic community and all sectors of society to "remember our collective responsibility to mourn these dear ones, a heavy burden that, although unjust, is currently placed on the frail shoulders of youth, workers, women, intellectuals, artists, students, and all concerned sectors." They added: "In the twists and turns ahead, the preservation of the intellectual and material lives of community members, and support for all lives, without any discrimination or exception, and solidarity to restore and uphold the trampled human dignity of all individuals, groups, and oppressed classes, is our responsibility, and our silence will only contribute to the intensification of this cycle of violence and death." They wrote: "If we can fulfill this responsibility together, in the future we can say that we have somewhat repaid our debt to artists, dissenters, and all the beautiful souls lost in these darker-than-night times." Following the murder of Dariush Mehrjui, a well-known Iranian filmmaker, and his wife Vahideh Mohammadi Far, which is fraught with many ambiguities regarding the details and motives, many social media users likened it to "chain murders." This comparison faced many reactions among government media, and the press organ of the Islamic Republic criticized such a comparison. In the early hours of Sunday, October 15, domestic media reported the murder of 84-year-old Dariush Mehrjui and his 54-year-old wife Vahideh Mohammadi Far at their private villa in the beautiful Dasht region of Fardis County, part of Alborz Province, near the capital of Iran.