![\"Systematic](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/fake-news-2-1024x533.jpg\" "\\"fake-news-2\\"")
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Systematic repression of dissent is a known feature of\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Iranian<\/span>\u00a0regime<\/span>\u00a0It goes\u00a0<\/span>hand-in-hand<\/span>\u00a0with that regime being recognized as the world\u2019s leading state sponsor of terrorism<\/a>. The history of Iran-backed terror acts is full of examples in which the targets were supporters or affiliates of domestic opposition groups, particularly the National Council of Resistance of\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Iran<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>NCRI)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(PMOI\/MEK)<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0So\u00a0it comes as absolutely no surprise when similar political violence is directed against Resistance activists<\/a> who are operating inside their homeland.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The international coverage of this domestic state terrorism<\/a> is, however, less consistent. The worst incident in many years occurred just last November<\/a>, and yet international awareness of it is limited. And even among Western news outlets that have covered th<\/span>e relevant crackdown on dissent, many failed to recognize its true scale.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After Iranians all across the country participated in a spontaneous anti-<\/span>regim<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0uprising \u2013 the second in two years \u2013 initial reports\u00a0<\/span>by the MEK, which\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>already collecting eyewitness testimony<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0pointed to a\u00a0<\/span>high<\/span>\u00a0death toll, and\u00a0<\/span>the MEK<\/span>\u00a0ultimately determined that in a matter of just several days, the\u00a0<\/span>Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0had killed approximately 1,500 peaceful demonstrators<\/a>. At the same time, to oppress further dissent voices, thousands were arrested, many of whom remain in detention today. Several have been handed capital sentences, indicating that still more casualties may be added to the long-term impact of this singular crackdown.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The international community must speak out more strongly against such crackdowns than it has\u00a0<\/span>done so far and should hold the regime to account for its crimes<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>The world community<\/span>\u00a0must do everything in its power to halt the planned executions, as well as exerting the type of pressure that may deter similarly violent responses when, inevitably, the Iranian people again rise up in opposition to the clerical regime. But the international community must also begin to promote a better understanding of what the regime\u2019s crackdowns on dissent\u00a0<\/span>signify, or rather hear the dissent voices inside Iran who call for regime change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tehran\u2019s sudden increase in violent repression last November was not arbitrary. It was a very deliberate response to a growing nationwide movement. More specifically, it was a response to a movement that is being shaped\u00a0<\/span>by<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>MEK<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>The regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei admitted as much in a speech at the beginning of 2018, while the first of the two recent uprisings\u00a0<\/span>were<\/span>\u00a0in full swing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Khamenei said that the\u00a0<\/span>MEK<\/span>\u00a0had \u201cplanned for months\u201d to facilitate the protests in more than a hundred Iranian cities and towns. The group\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>leading role<\/span>\u00a0was clearly reflected in the uprising\u2019s unequivocal message of regime change. Participants all throughout the country were heard to chant the same slogans, such as \u201cdeath to the dictator.\u201d These were unprecedented on such a grand scale, and they pointed to a level of support for the\u00a0<\/span>MEK\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0platform that Iranian authorities had long attempted to deny.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The regime has used its \u201cfriendly journalist\u201d<\/a> and other agents <\/span>in infiltrating Western media\u00a0<\/span>and pushing false\u00a0<\/span>narratives about the\u00a0<\/span>MEK\u00a0<\/span>and NCRI. Through networks of lobbyists and intelligence operatives, Tehran had insisted that the\u00a0<\/span>MEK<\/span>\u00a0was little more than a \u201ccult\u201d or a tiny group without anything approaching the means to challenge Iran\u2019s established government.\u00a0<\/span>They\u00a0<\/span>further\u00a0<\/span>backed their bogus claim by stating that\u00a0<\/span>hardly any Iranian activists were speaking the\u00a0<\/span>MEK<\/span>\u2019s name when condemning the Iranian regime or outlining their alternative vision for the future of Iran.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But if one stops to think about that activism in the context of Iran\u2019s penchant for political violence and international terrorism, one should understand the reasons\u00a0<\/span>people\u00a0<\/span>do not say the MEK\u2019s name at the beginning of their uprising<\/span>. Public acknowledgment of that support elicits the type of response that was seen <\/span>during the 1988 massacre<\/a> when 30,000 political prisoners were executed for merely supporting the MEK<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n #Iran<\/a> #1988Massacre<\/a>: Families of Victims Still Seek #Justice<\/a> — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
Some 32 years after this crime, the #Iranian<\/a> officials continue their #HumanRights<\/a> violations and enjoy impunity for the crime they had committed in 1988. https:\/\/t.co\/f1A7lHT3oK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/a10KYg4U0z<\/a><\/p>\n