Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb from Prison: Deception and Trickery Flow from Under the Cloak of Clerics and the Sleeves of Military Personnel

Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, a political prisoner, emphasized in a message from Qazalhasar prison in Alborz province that although the officials of the Islamic Republic want to lead Iran to "the brink of destruction" through "censorship, silence, and oppression" and "support for terrorism," "those who care and are concerned" will stand against them. In an audio file received by VOA on Sunday, August 5, Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb highlighted the "glory, culture, and wisdom of the thoughtful ancestors that have reached Iranians over millennia," reminding that in recent years "Iran has become a playground for terrorists and the mafia of power and wealth, and the people have been driven into misery, poverty, corruption, and addiction." He also stated that "the compassionate people of this land and many who have a deep love for Iran and its people are largely imprisoned political prisoners" and on the other hand, "we see what deceptions, tricks, and lies are poured upon the people from under the cloaks of clerics and the sleeves of military personnel and security forces." This political prisoner, who is one of the signatories of the "14th Statement" for the resignation of Ali Khamenei and the transition from the Islamic Republic, emphasized that the people of Iran and Iraq are still "not standing upright under the burden of war," adding: "Here, corrupt rulers continue to fan the flames of support for terrorism and warmongering. This will not last. The people of Iran have never remained under oppression and tyranny." Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb expressed regret that "unfortunately, we see Iran's name mentioned alongside countries like North Korea and China," but optimistically stated: "I know, and we all know that those who care and are concerned in this land will not remain idle and will sacrifice their lives for the freedom of this land." This human rights activist, currently in Qazalhasar prison, emphasized that the Islamic Republic "wants to lead Iran to the brink of destruction through censorship, silence, oppression, and the exploitation of the people's wealth and the plundering of this country's assets to suppress and support terrorism and warmongering." He added: "Those who call the terrorists of Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria the axis of resistance and turn them into heroes have sold Iran to Russia and China and will soon find themselves in the hell of the Yemeni wilderness." Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb stressed that the people of Iran will "not tolerate the current situation" and that "the greatest violators of human rights in this land," including "the non-independent judiciary, the leadership office, the repressive military, and security forces, must all return to the hell from which they came." Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb is one of the 10 political prisoners held in Qazalhasar prison who launched the protest campaign "No to Execution Tuesdays" last February. In the audio file received by VOA, he also emphasized the lack of deterrence of the death penalty for drug offenders while describing the situation of drug distribution in this prison. This former firefighter, who was fired from his job due to civil and human rights activities, has been arrested multiple times before and has gone on hunger strikes several times in prison to protest human rights violations in Iran. Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb was last arrested on March 7, 2023, while trying to participate in a protest gathering of teachers against the serial poisoning of students, where he was "beaten" during his arrest. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic sentenced this human rights activist to "three years and nine months in prison" without issuing a verdict and has faced repeated case fabrications during his detention.