Baha’is have been long under oppression by the Islamic Republic since the beginning of the revolution in 1979. They have been forced to quit academia and are not allowed in governmental jobs.

After the Friday prayer, people in Zahedan once again took the protests to the streets. They chanted against the Islamic Republic and burnt Khamenei’s picture.

Yearly Report on Human Rights Violations in Iranian Kurdistan

According to a report published by Hengaw Human Rights Organization, in 2022, at least 52 Kurdish citizens were executed, and more than 2212 citizens were arrested, 155 of whom were sentenced to death, imprisonment, and flogging. This report also mentions that 290 Kolbars and traders were killed or injured. Additionally, 128 ordinary citizens were killed by the government's direct fire, and more than 3000 were injured. 37 citizens were victims of mine explosions, and 19 died in the prison. 55 laborers died in work-related accidents, and 163 were fired.

Online Courts

The Iran Nationwide Protest Detainee Follow-up Committee reports that "online courts" have been held for a large number of detainees over the past two months, and that many of their basic rights are violated by these short trials.

According to the report of this committee, one of the detainees told his family that his trial was conducted by "video call" and during the trial, phrases were typed on the monitor and he was forced to repeat them.

For example, Mr. Jalali, who was arrested in the early days of the protests in Gohardasht, had a three-minute online court in which he had only thirty seconds to defend himself, and in the end, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison in Tabriz, as well as 2 years of exile in Kerman.

Too Much to Handle

While the heads of the Islamic regime have announced the "end of the protests" a couple of times so far in the last 3 months, it seems that the situation has become only more difficult for them, and they have lost control of various aspects of governance.

Extensive sanctions, inefficiency, and widespread corruption have put Iran's economy in its worst state. The value of Iran's currency is at its lowest level, and is continuously falling, food price inflation has broken world records after World War II, and now even some top clerics have criticized the economic policies of Raisi’s government. This is while he changed the head of the Central Bank of Iran a few days ago and asked the new head to "manage" the situation. Even some conservatives are asking for his impeachment now.