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Iran: Arbitrary Arrests Across the Country; 10,500 Arrests in Kermanshah, Semnan, and Zanjan

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NCRI-50In fear of growing popular protests and uprisings, the religious fascism ruling Iran has resorted to widespread arrests in various provinces.

According to the state-run Tasnim news agency, on October 18, the head of the repressive State Security Force (SSF) in Zanjan Province (northwest Iran) announced that 1,500 people had been arrested under the pretext of “security disruptor” over the past eight months. He described the detainees as individuals who “attempt to create chaos and tension in society.” He also said: “Cyberspace has become a reality in the society, and is no longer virtual. Therefore, extending security in Cyberspace has become a complicated but necessary issue.”

On the same day, the head of the SSF in Kermanshah Province (western Iran) announced the arrest of 5,550 people under the pretext of “thieves, thugs, and hooligans” in the past six months, according to state-run ILNA news agency.

A few days earlier, on October 14, the Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Abdullah Hassani, head of the SSF for Semnan Province, announced the arrest of 3,000 people over a six month period on the pretext of thieves, 80% of whom were under 35 years old, according to the state-run news outlet Hamshahri Online.

On October 17, the head of the regime’s repressive SSF in Kuhdasht in Lorestan Province (western Iran) announced the arrest of 98 people. He told state-run ISNA, “Sustaining the SSF’s security plans to prevent irregular behavior and maintain and promote public security and calm are among the priorities that have been seriously emphasized upon in our planning.”

IRGC Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Yazdi, commander of the criminal “Mohammad Corps” in Tehran, told the state TV, today, “The Razavioun patrols, which were created to provide security, started (a series of) preparations two years ago. Last year, these preparatory activities were completed, and this year they have been fully implemented. In other words, in coordination with our SSF brothers at Tehran’s Judiciary, we have launched the Razavioun patrols across the Province to create security … and in coordination with the prosecutor and with the help of SSF, the continuation of this task will be to develop and extend our activities at all levels and in all areas of the city to confront those who want to disrupt the people’s security.”

Arbitrary and illegal arrests of young people under various pretexts, as well as the execution of detained protesters, the amputation sentences and beating and humiliating of young people under the name of “thugs,” represent the religious fascism’s futile attempts to create an atmosphere of terror and to prevent the escalation of protests and uprisings.

The Iranian Resistance once again calls on the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, other relevant UN human rights organizations, and the European Union, to strongly condemn such brutal executions and arbitrary arrests in Iran. It also calls for sending an international inquiry commission to visit the prisons of the clerical regime and meet prisoners, especially political prisoners.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
October 19, 2020

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