Why Was the Report 'Burnt Design' Broadcast?

In the television report 'Burnt Design' aired on Saturday night from the program '20:30' on Iranian television, the presenter, referring to the torture of Ismail Bakhshi, a labor activist, states that this issue 'caused the revival of movements outside the country.' The complainant's tone raises a simple question: if the security officials of the Islamic Republic are unhappy with the 'revival' of discussions related to Ismail Bakhshi, why did they again stimulate discussion by producing a television report? The first reason can be attributed to the element of 'courage.' Since the onset of the protests by the workers of the Haft Tappeh sugarcane factory, prominent individuals courageously became the speakers and coordinators of these protests. Ismail Bakhshi, who was the most significant figure, was a pioneer in both formulating and articulating issues, pursuing demands, and confronting security forces with courage. This courage, which broadened the opportunity for others to express themselves and brought steelworkers to the streets, became a social capital for him. The arrest and torture of Ismail Bakhshi was the first step to breaking this courage. However, after his release, he did not succumb to the project and by publicizing his torture, he further solidified his political identity, especially since the subject was met with empathetic reactions from a multitude of supporters and opponents of the regime, exacerbating ethical doubts about the government's behavior. On the other hand, the discussion of torture led to the public emergence of numerous narratives filled with anger and pain from opponents and critics of the Islamic Republic who had been victims of torture for years. These narratives, which demonstrate the systematic nature of torture in the Islamic Republic, acted like a strong indictment, tightening the media space for defenders of the Islamic Republic and judicial and security officials even more. Concurrently, the defense and readiness to testify about the torture of Ismail Bakhshi by Sepideh Gholian also indicated the multiplication and strengthening of the element of courage. Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist, was arrested in November along with Ismail Bakhshi and several workers from Haft Tappeh and was imprisoned for nearly a month. The denial and accusation against Ismail Bakhshi was the second attempt by security elements to break his resistance. Creating doubt and confusion by members of the Hope faction or Ali Motahari – who have more social acceptance than judicial elements – was precisely a targeted step to portray Ismail Bakhshi as a confused and dishonest character and to break him. Nevertheless, he did not retreat in the face of this portrayal and the government's spokesperson's threats to file a complaint, succinctly stating that he had not lied to the people. The broadcast of the television report 'Burnt Design' was the third step by security elements to dismantle the courageous identity of the protesters. The essence of this report is based on proving the 'affiliation' of this labor activist. Initially, they described Ismail Bakhshi as an extremist who led labor gatherings astray, in the second step, they labeled him a liar who raised the issue of torture for political gain, and now they present him as someone affiliated who played in the enemy's field. This level of destruction and the targeted planning of security-judicial and media elements to ruin the identity of several civil and labor activists who have no organizational affiliation with any of the domestic political currents is unprecedented in itself. However, Ismail Bakhshi did not only become a credible model in terms of personality; as emphasized in the 'Burnt Design' report, the insistence of Ismail Bakhshi and his protesting friends to form an 'Independent Labor Council' could not only establish an independent and powerful labor institution but could also, as stated in this report, become an accessible model for ongoing protests in Iran. The fear of 'institution-building' is a long-standing fear within the security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic. Declaring the Freedom Movement illegal, dissolving two parties, the 'Islamic Iran Participation Front' and the 'Revolutionary Mojahedin Organization,' and strong repressive actions against the bus workers' syndicate are examples of the Islamic Republic's excessive desire to suppress institutions and stifle any organizational activity at its inception and control institutional activities. A famous sentence about this desire can be found in a speech by Ayatollah Khamenei. The leader of the Islamic Republic called Dariush Forouhar an enemy of the regime but stated that he was a harmless and non-threatening enemy because he had no 'continuation' and 'no one was familiar with him, no one was influenced by his words, and he had no influence.' Therefore, having an 'effective institution' and 'influential personality' among opponents and critics of the regime has been an important and long-standing red line in dealing with him. A major objective of the 'Burnt Design' report has also targeted these components. The report also attempts to provide calming messages to its supporters by relying on forced confessions and handwritten notes from detainees, indicating that the programs pursued during these confrontations, even if they have margins or flaws, are larger than dealing with Ismail Bakhshi or Sepideh Gholian, and the main game and plan are beyond what they have read or heard. In this context, it was interesting to note that in this television report prepared in collaboration with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, topics such as the activities of detained environmentalists were also described as part of this main game and plan. This was while it had previously been repeatedly quoted from senior officials of the Ministry of Intelligence that they do not consider environmental activists as spies and have a discordant stance with the IRGC Intelligence Organization. However, in this film, by lumping environmentalists together with all groups that, according to this report, are playing in the enemy's field and advancing Western projects, it became clear that the Ministry of Intelligence has returned to its core principles. They are, for the time being, the biggest losers in the Ismail Bakhshi affair. In this context, Sepideh Gholian was arrested again, Sepideh Gholian's reaction to the broadcast of forced confessions, Asal Mohammadi: I am willing to testify about the conditions of Sepideh Gholian and Ismail Bakhshi in prison, the Attorney General regarding 'torture' of Ismail Bakhshi: there was no specific beating, severe government repression, and the danger of 'underground' protests, what doctors and eyewitnesses narrate from the injured in the protests, revealing the limitations of China-Iran relations amid protests.