The families of jailed Iranian protesters say the country’s rulers have proposed a cruel bargain: publicly celebrate the Islamic Revolution that brought them to power, or risk the lives of their loved ones.
Human rights organizations say more than 12,000 Iranians were arrested amid the wave of anti-regime protests that swept the country in early January.
Bazdasht Shodegan is an organization formed by former Iranian prisoners that offers online support for detainees and their families. It says the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence contacted the families of some current prisoners offering what the group called “an inhumane dilemma” — either attend marches on Wednesday celebrating the 47th anniversary of the revolution, or put the lives of their children at risk.
Several other human rights groups that monitor events in Iran also reported the messages delivered to prisoners’ families.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty
Holding families to ransom this way is not new. The Iranian regime has a long history of putting pressure on the families of anti-regime dissidents and demonstrators.
“On the one hand, a prisoner is forced to confess under brutal torture,” says Bazdasht Shodegan. “On the other hand, his family is forced to pretend to support the regime. This is a complete cycle of mental and physical torture.”
The families contacted recently were told that if they wanted their children — many of whom face long prison sentences or even the death penalty — released or spared the most severe punishments, they would have to join the pro-regime, state-organized revolutionary celebrations to prove their loyalty in public.
To add insult to injury, they were instructed to take videos of themselves displaying regime “loyalty” and send them to the security services.
These videos, along with statements by well known figures recanting their support for the January protests, amount to trophies for the regime — tools of humiliation and intimidation designed to head off future dissent.
One such figure is businessman Mohamed Saedinia.
He is famous in Iran as the owner of a chain of candy shops and buzzing cafes beloved by young liberals in Tehran. At the start of the uprising, Saedinia closed his shops and posted a social media message saying he stood in solidarity with other Iranians who had shut their businesses to register their anger at the catastrophic plunge in Iran’s currency.
Saedinia was subsequently arrested along with his son and accused of supporting “the rioters.” Iranian authorities warned that if he was convicted, the regime would seize his assets.
This week, Saedinia’s groveling U-turn was published by Fars, Iran’s semi-official pro-regime news service.
“Unfortunately, due to problems that occurred in the market,” said the statement attributed to Saedinia, “my son mistakenly closed our shops in line with the [actions of other Tehran businesses]. Both he and I realize our mistake.”
“Therefore, we … apologize to the dear people of Iran and will show our obedience to our beloved leader and our disgust with criminal America by participating in the march to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution.”
No one in Iran may believe it, but everyone will get the message.
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