Tehran – April 27, 2025 – In a defiant move recorded and posted across Persian-language social media platforms, former political prisoner Hamid Haj Jafar Kashani was violently arrested in North Kargar Street in Tehran after publicly chanting “Death to Khamenei” and cursing the clerical regime.
Under the glaring sun and in the heart of the Iranian capital, Kashani boldly raised a placard reading, “Until the Mullahs Are Buried, This Nation Will Not Be Free” — slogans that reflect the silent rage of millions across Iran. Unlike the safety offered by large crowds during nationwide uprisings, Kashani’s daring protest was a solo act, a rare moment of fearless defiance in broad daylight. His courage underscores a growing reality: thousands of Iranians are increasingly willing to risk arrest, torture, and even death to uphold their right to freedom of speech and to demand an end to the tyranny that has gripped Iran for decades.
Kashani, born in 1982, has long been a thorn in the regime’s side. Arrested in 2019 for “propaganda against the regime” and alleged ties to the opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI), he served three and a half brutal years in Rasht, Evin, and Greater Tehran prisons. After a failed attempt to seek asylum in Turkey, he was deported and again imprisoned under severe torture. Regime forces repeatedly tried — and failed — to force him into televised confessions and public denunciations of the opposition.
🚨 #BREAKING In Tehran, a man was violently arrested for holding a sign reading "Death to the Principle of Velayat-e Faqih" and chanting "Death to Khamenei." The regime’s brutality shows its desperation to silence any cry for freedom. #Iran pic.twitter.com/3pYqCwYp7V
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) April 27, 2025
The MEK’s Social Council inside Iran has urgently called for Kashani’s immediate release, warning of grave danger to his life amid reports of ongoing torture.
Kashani’s persecution is part of a broader, relentless crackdown by the clerical regime against any form of peaceful dissent. His story is emblematic of a new wave of protest emerging across Iran — one where individual acts of bravery pierce through a climate of fear, signaling that the regime’s brutal tactics can no longer silence the demands for freedom, justice, and national dignity.
The world must not turn a blind eye. Iran’s protests are not fading — they are evolving, becoming more courageous, and they are demanding global solidarity.