Feb 7, 2023
Kamal Abdollahzadeh, a soldier, is sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison. At the beginning of the uprising in Iran, he posted a picture of himself wearing a military uniform and wrote, “I stand with my people and won’t shoot anyone.” He is charged with “collusion against the country's security” and “propaganda against the regime”.
Reactions to Khamenei’s “Amnesty”
Following Khamenei’s “pardon” order, Amnesty International said this is only a strategy to suppress the international reactions to what is happening in Iran. Especially since this pardon won’t be toward anyone with an execution sentence.
Thijs Reuten, Netherlands’ representative in the European Parliament, also called this order a “hypocritical act”. “Freedom should not depend on the whims of a dictator”, said Reuten.
A Song for Social Change
Shervin Hajipour, Iranian musician, won the Grammy Award for the new category of “Song for Social Change”.
Shervin won this award because of his song “Baraye…” (meaning “For the Sake of”). The lyrics of this song came from Iraninans’ tweets at the beginning of the uprising, mentioning what they are fighting for and their dreams for the future. This song had over 40 million views in the first 48 hours of release. Later, the Islamic regime arrested Shervin for the release of this song. He is now out of prison.
After announcing the news, Shervin tweeted: “We won!”
Arrest of Sunni Clerics
Since the beginning of the uprising, with the clear stance of Sunni clerics in Iran against the regime and its religious authority, especially in Sistan and Baluchestan province and the Kurdish regions, the pressure of the regime forces on these clerics has increased and in some cases they have been arrested.
Last week, Molavi Abdolmajid Moradzahi, a well-known Sunni cleric in Zahedan and one of the people close to Molavi Abdolhamid, got arrested. A group of women in Khash came to the streets on Monday to support him and protest against his arrest.
The Revolution Times is deeply saddened by the woeful news of the Kahramanmaras earthquake and empathizes with the people of Turkey and Syria, especially the victims of this earthquake.