Germany Wants To Increase Pressure On Iran After Latest Executions

Khamenei, who is facing the most serious challenge to his rule since 1989 when he became Supreme Leader, claimed that protesters are not angry about government inefficiency, managerial and economic weaknesses, but on the contrary the antigovernment movement is meant to weaken a strong Islamic Republic.

Popular protests broke out in mid-September when a 22-year-old woman was fatally wounded after being arrested by Iran’s notorious ‘hijab police’. After years of economic decline, increasing poverty and government interference in the private lives of citizens, the incident triggered pent-up frustrations that blew up in street demonstrations.

But unlike previous rounds of unrest, the government was not able to crush the protests in a matter of days and the demonstrators were not asking for reforms but demanding a regime change. Nevertheless, security forces killed more than 500 civilians and arrested close to 20,000 people by the end of December. The government has also hanged four protesters after sham trials, triggering Western condemnations, and isolating the clerical regime.

“In the recent riots, the hand of foreigners was visible, although some have denied it. As soon as we say foreign enemy, some deny it,” Khamenei said, referring to domestic pundits and politicians that say the protesters have genuine grievances.

‘Foreign enemy’ is a favorite term for the 83-year-old authoritarian ruler, who is a staunch opponent of the West and believes he is the leader of the Muslim world, although as a Shiite cleric he cannot be accepted by most Muslims, who are Sunnis.

‘The enemy’, usually refers to the United States, Israel, Western Europe and even some Arab countries – in short, whoever disagrees with Khamenei’s quest to dominate the region, eradicate all manifestations of Western presence, and destroy Israel.

Khamenei attributes almost all political and economic failures and shortcomings to conspiracies by ‘the enemy’, and the ongoing protests are no exception.

He began blaming foreigners as early as September and his loyalists and media controlled by hardliners immediately tuned their propaganda to his message.

“Actions by America, by Europeans…each somehow intervened in this issue [protests] in an obvious manner, not hidden from view,” Khamenei said.

The United States and Europe only gradually increased their criticism of Tehran as the story of Mahsa Amini, the woman killed by the ‘hijab police’ spread around the world and garnered sympathy, the West began to react. Reports of teenage protesters being killed by trigger-happy regime forces in the early weeks of the protests brought on more and more Western criticism.

Khamenei went on to blame international, Arab and Hebrew media for propaganda in favor of the protests. Here is where, he claimed that the protests were meant to weaken the Islamic Republic and had nothing to do with its shortcomings. It was “the strengths” they wanted to destroy, he claimed.

Khamenei’s Islamic Republic has survived with oil export income for more than three decades and US sanctions imposed on its crude exports since 2018 have further weakened a shaky economy. Millions of middle-class citizens have become poor as inflation has reached nearly 50 percent and the national currency has lost its value more than tenfold in five years.

Khamenei has refused to resolve his differences with the West over Iran’s nuclear program seen as a threat by many countries. But parts of his speech Monday revealed what could be interpreted as anxiety over the political and economic deadlock his regime faces.

“Big works should be accomplished. Transformational work must get done. I believe it can be done. We have pious, hardworking officials,” Khamenei said and reminisced about the 1979 revolution that toppled the monarchy.

The problem is that millions of people now reject that revolution and aspire to establishing a secular and democratic country.

With Radan's track record as the heavy-handed former police chief of Greater Tehran, Kordestan and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces the appointment was immediately questioned by social media and foreign-based Persian media.

Most of Radan's ill reputation dates back to his role as police chief during the post-election unrest in 2009 and the performance of his men at the Kahrizak detention center where several young protesters including children of some state officials were killed as a result of police brutality. He was interrogated for long hours for the casualty toll of the post-election unrest.

Like many other intelligence and police officials, Radan is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and in essence an IRGC officer.

Radan's men were also seen in police vehicles running over the protesters in the streets of Tehran on several occasions in 2009 and 2010. There is also a famous audio recording posted on social media in which Radan is ordering his men in Tehran to shoot anyone they can among protesters.

Clearly his ruthless treatment of demonstrators and his violent enforcement of the compulsory hijab are among the reasons why Khamenei decided to bring him back from his comfort zone or possibly his exile at the police's Strategic Studies Center to the troubled and turbulent streets of Iran.

Radan was sanctioned for his human rights violations by the United States as early as 2010 and has been blacklisted by the European Union.

The right man for Khamenei

During the past month the press speculated that Khamenei was unhappy with former police chief Hossein Ashtari's performance in quashing anti-regime protests. Although Khamenei said that Ashtari left his post at the end of his term of office, the press revealed that he had still more than two years to serve.

According to Etemad Online, Radan's hard-line views about security make him the right man to serve alongside a consolidated conservative government. He has been known for his ultraconservative positions about hijab and security since the time he joined the IRGC as a young man. He served as the Police Chief of Kordestan, a challenging region, from 1997 to 2000. Then he worked until 2004 as the police chief of Sistan-Baluchistan, another difficult area with a porous border, poverty and an oppressed Sunni population. He was transferred to Tehran in 2005 as the police chief of Greater Tehran and served until 2009.

He was one of the pioneers of enforcing a religious dress code through the ‘morality police’ where he expressed strict opposition to men wearing ties and women wearing boots and tight manteaus. President Ebrahim Raisi referred to this in his congratulatory message to Radan's. IRGC-linked Javan newspaper also praised Radan for tackling the hijab issue in the past years.

Radan has said that his "success" in that role was due to targeting the hijab issue right at clothing production centers where "the enemies were silently attacking religious values." He shut down many barber shops in Tehran for introducing new hair styles for the youth. Nonetheless, his strongest point, as far as Khamenei was concerned, was his violent crackdown on the 2009 protests. An experience that could come handy in the turbulent period of 2022 and 2023.

A man of no apologies

Radan says that "success" was the outcome of the police's close cooperation with Basij and the Intelligence Ministry, Rouydad24 reported. The two organizations provided the plainclothes forces who would recognize no barrier whatsoever in violently cracking down on protests.

Iranian media have said that Radan has come back to the forefront of tackling the protests with more power than before. Many Iranians still remember him in a controversial interview on state television in which he dismissed all the criticisms about his performance and insisted that "I am absolutely serious about security and hijab. People know what is right and what is not, and we know what to do if we want to take people with us and they refuse to come with us."

However, what happened to Mahsa Zhina Amini in police custody in mid-September showed that nothing is yet clear about what the police may and may not do. Some say former police chief Ashtari was removed from his post because he could not convince anyone, including Khamenei, that his plainclothes agents could stop the protests, although they beat and shot protesters at point blank range, and are responsible for hundreds of deaths since September.

What Radan will probably begin to understand during the next months is that today's protesters are extremely different from those in 2009. Instead of turning the other cheek they might slap back his men in the face.

People around the world held gatherings Sunday to pay respects to the victims of a Ukrainian airliner shot down by Iran’s military as it took off from Tehran on January 8, 2020.. 

Iranian diaspora communities held rallies outside the Islamic Republic’s embassies and in many cities, chanting slogans against human rights violations by the clerical regime in Iran.

Following the downing of flight PS 752 on January 8, 2020, the Islamic Republic tried to deny the incident for a few days before it was forced to admit that an air defense unit had fired two missiles at the airliner over Tehran.

The rallies were also held to express solidarity with those in Iran who have been protesting and holding strikes for over 110 days since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in hijab police custody, an event that triggered the unprecedented unrest. 

The gatherings started early Sunday in in Australia and New Zealand, continued in several cities in Asia and Europe and finally in many cities in Canada and the United States. Speeches and artistic performances took place at some of the events. 

Rallies in Canada and the United States were among the biggest gatherings. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly participated in the event in Toronto and delivered speeches in honor of the victims and against the Islamic Republic’s human rights violations. 

"The Flight PS752 tragedy happened because of the Iranian regime's heinous disregard for human life... The Islamic Republic does not represent people of Iran who deserve so much better," Trudeau said. He noted that "finding justice" is a crucial part of mourning, adding that "Your grief has been compounded by their refusal to be held accountable."

He said Canada has "permanently and forever" banned leaders from Iran from taking safe haven in the country. "We will continue to stand and look for even more to do to ensure that this brutal, murderous regime is held fully to account."

He also touched upon the ongoing antigovernment protests in Iran, saying, “The killing of Mahsa Amini shocked not only those in Iran but also the entire world.” He added that Canada stands by and supports the women of Iran, before concluding his speech by chanting the Iranian uprising's moto "Women, Life, Liberty" in Persian.

"The Islamic Republic is not representative and is not indicative of the extraordinary, wonderful, warm, beautiful people of Iran who deserve so much better," said Trudeau.

Vowing to keep up the efforts until the Islamic Republic is held accountable for the tragic incident, Joly said, "We will get the best lawyers to make sure that the Iranian regime will be held accountable at the international court of justice."

Hamed Esmaeilion, the Canada-based activist whose daughter and wife were killed in the incident and serves as the spokesman for the families of Iranian victims of the flight PS752, also delivered a speech during the event. He called on the Ottawa government to expel Farhad Parvaresh, the Islamic Republic's envoy to ICAO -- the UN's specialized agency for civil aviation headquartered in Montreal. 

He also renewed calls on the Canadian government to list the entirety of the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, and identify and remove from Canada the "oligarchs and operatives" of the Islamic Republic. "The world must understand that they have no place in the international community and most importantly they do not represent the great people of Iran," he said.

"We have no other option. From Day 1 we've been focused on finding the truth and seeking justice, and we're not going to give up,” Esmaeilion said. 

In Iran, the families of victims of the airliner gathered Sunday at the site of the crash, in Shahriar, southwest of the capital Tehran, while others protested at cemeteries in other cities including Saqqez in Kordestan Province, the Kurdish city of Mahahbad in West Azarbaijan province, and Bandar Anzali in the north to mark the anniversary of the tragedy. 

The airliner was shot down by two air-defense missiles fired by the IRGC as it took off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. Hours earlier, the IRGC had fired more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US troops in retaliation for the killing of the IRGC Quds Force Commander Ghasem Soleimani who was targeted by a US drone strike just five days earlier. All 176 passengers and crew, including 63 Canadians and 10 from Sweden, as well as 82 Iranian citizens on the plane died in the disaster.

“We swear on our comrades’ blood, We will stand strong until the end,” in reference to the execution of Mohammad-Mehdi Karami, 22, and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 39, who were hanged Saturday in Karaj, capital of Alborz Province to the west of Tehran, for allegedly killing Ruhollah Ajamian, a Basij militia agent during protests in November.

Karami’s family visited his grave Sunday and also lit candles and laid flowers at the grave of Hosseini who was also hanged. Hosseini who had no immediate family except his brother to receive his body, which was buried near Karami at the same cemetery.

Protests started in Najafabad on Sunday, a small conservative city in the central Esfahan Province. In Tehran students of Sureh and Beheshti universities protested and demanded the release of detained students chanting slogans against the government, the Revolutionary Guards, and its Basi militia.

The families of victims of a Ukrainian airliner shot down by two IRGC missiles in January 2020 gathered Sunday at the site of the crash, in Shahriar, southwest of the capital Tehran, while others protested at cemeteries in other cities including Saqqez in Kordestan Province, the Kurdish city of Mahahbad in West Azarbaijan province, and Bandar Anzali in the north to mark the anniversary of the tragedy that claimed the lives of all 176 onboard.

In Bandar Anzali security forces shut the gates of the local cemetery where one of the victims of the recent protests, Mehran Sammak, is buried and fired tear gas to prevent people from protesting there. “Down with the executioner republic”, people chanted in the streets of Bandar Anzali. “We swear on Mehran’s blood, We will not surrender before the end [of the regime]”, they vowed.

In several Kurdish cities such as Saqqez, Bukan and Kermanshah shops did not open Sunday as a gesture of solidarity with the protest movement.

In Tehran those who took to the street in the afternoon in several neighborhoods also chanted against the IRGC and its militia, the Basij, calling them “our Da’ish”, the Arabic acronym for ISIS. The slogan is in response to officials’ claims that Da’ish would have reached Iran from Iraq if it were not for the IRGC and its extraterritorial arm, the Qods Force, led by Qassem Soleimani.

Protesters chanted against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader and in several cities – including various neighborhoods of Tehran, Bandar Anzali, Bandar Abbas, Esfahan, Sanandaj, Mahabad, Qazvin, Mashhad and Karaj – calling him a dictator and his government “child-killer”. “Poverty, corruption, unaffordable prices, We will continue until the toppling [of the regime]”, people chanted in Mashhad.

Protests in Tehran and some other cities continued with chanting from windows and rooftops as night fell.

Protesters Sunday reported extensive presence of “plainclothes” agents from the security and intelligence agencies on the streets who as usual made most of the arrests. Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi, however, on Sunday denied the existence of plainclothesmen and claimed that all police, IRGC and Basij forces on the streets wear in uniform.

In Esfahan, as everywhere else, security forces in plainclothes and in uniform attacked “anyone who was walking about” to prevent people from congregating. “They came into Maryam shopping arcade and beat the security guard, anyone who stepped forward was beaten,” Seda-ye Esfahan (Voice of Esfahan) reported on Twitter.

Protesters in Tehran and other cities also reported extensive use of tear gas and ‘birdshots’ which cause serious injuries. Many people have been blinded and even killed in the past four months by these shotgun shells.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington condemns the Islamic Republic’s “sham trials and execution of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini in the strongest terms,” noting that “These executions are a key component of the regime's effort to suppress protests.”

Price also added that “We continue to work with partners to pursue accountability for Iran’s brutal crackdown.” His remarks echoed a similar one by US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley who said, “Appalled by the regime’s execution of two more young Iranians after sham trials. These executions must stop. We and others across the globe will continue to hold Iran’s leadership accountable.”

Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY) also condemned the Iranian regime’s brutal and unlawful execution of two innocent young men, saying it “should be a final straw for anyone who still thinks this regime is redeemable. The regime in Iran terrorizes its own people and the world. It should continue to face economic and diplomatic pressure.”

Member of the Belgian Parliament Darya Safai attended a protest rally outside the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Brussels in which she described the regime as the “occupiers of Iran.” She also tweeted about a mourning ceremony by friends of one of the hanged protesters, saying the regime would not let people say goodbye to the bodies of their loved ones. “As inhumane they killed him, they also buried him in an inhumane manner in complete silence,” she said. 

Denouncing the execution of protesters in Iran, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs told Iran International in a statement that Canberra calls on the Islamic Republic to immediately halt all executions and will continue to work through the multilateral system and with partners to hold Iran to account. Australia opposes death penalty... for all people."

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna described the executions as “appalling,” adding that France recalls its opposition to the death penalty, in all places and in all circumstances. French Senators have also tabled a resolution calling on the EU for ending nuclear negotiations with Iran, designating the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, as well as several other measures. 

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs also condemned the execution and emphasized its opposition to the death penalty everywhere and under any circumstances.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also denounced the executions, saying that “two more lives lost to senseless executions from the Iranian regime.” Calling on the regime to put an end to such brutal and inhumane sentences, she expressed solidarity with Iranians who have a right to their human rights.

Golriz Ghahraman, a member of New Zealand’s parliament with Iranian roots, said, “A generation of Iranians is being murdered to protect the power of a self-declared Grand Ayatollah and the stolen wealth of his cronies.”

She addressed Western leaders, saying, “This is a moment in history, Iranians will win, but right now you are not on the side of freedom.” 

The European Union in a statement Saturday condemned the execution of Karami and Hosseini and called the executions “yet another sign of the Iranian authorities’ violent repression of civilian demonstrations” and urged Iranian government to “strictly abide by their obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” to which Iran is a party.

Two other protestors named Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard were executed in Tehran and Mashhad in December.

Following mass arrests of protestors in the last four months and hasty death sentences issued for 11 people in sham trials, human rights activists and some foreign officials have been calling for weeks to hold the Islamic Republic accountable.