Following the calls of the previous days for nationwide protests on Thursday, February 16, Iranian people came to the streets in many cities of the country, including Sanandaj, Tehran, Mashhad, Karaj, Rasht, Arak, and Ahvaz, with their usual slogans against the regime and Ali Khamenei himself.

As in the past, these protests were brutally repressed by the regime forces. In some footage, the regime forces shoot at those who are filming inside their vehicles or in some cases they break the windows of the cars with batons.

February 16 coincided with the 40th day after the inhumane execution of two innocent protesters, Seyed Mohammad (Kian) Hosseini, and Mohammad Mehdi Karami. In this regard, people were chanting: "We swear to those who were hanged, we're standing until the very end!"

Also, on the eve of another Friday in Zahedan, the regime has started mass arrests of protesters, activists, and Sunni clerics since the beginning of the week, and has put the entry and exit roads of the city under strict control. The situation of prisoners, especially women, in Sistan and Baluchestan province,  based on the reports of local human rights institutions and activists is woeful. Horrifically, torture and rape have become common in prisons and detention centers.

“The Day of Freedom is Near”

In a statement published on Thursday, five female political prisoners who were recently released stated that the recent wave of the release of political prisoners is the result of the continuous uprising of Iranian freedom fighters, notably women.

Alieh Motallebzadeh, Raha Askarizadeh, Noushin Jafari, Maliheh Jafari and Hasti Amiri state:

“Ever since we have been released, we have been looking forward to the release of the rest of our comrades, including Sepideh Kashani and Niloufar Bayani, whom everyone has heard the story of their five years of suffering and oppression. They are among the noblest people of this land who have paid the price of their love and protection of the nature of this country with prison and torture.”

“What is very impressive and remarkable is the composition and social base of the prisoners. Prisoners are among women's activists, teachers, students, laborers, sociologists, university professors, lawyers, journalists, cinematographers, athletes, writers, artists, Christian converts, dervishes, ethnic minorities, justice seekers, the Baha'i community, environmental activists, etc. This shows the astonishing extent of the regime's oppression of the people of Iran, as well as popular resistance in different classes of the society.”

“We, as a group of released female political prisoners, and together along the liberating movement of "Woman, Life, Freedom", hope that with the continued support of you people and the efforts and persistence of the international community, we will soon see the freedom of all male and female political prisoners in Evin, and other prisons.”