Diaries of the Iranian Revolution: Week of 1st Dec to 8th Dec
Dreaming Despite Fear and Doubt
Doubts occupy our minds and despair fills our hearts as we put the 17th week of the revolution behind us. A key question that we hear often during small talks dominates discussions: “what’s next? has it ended? or will the regime fall?” As if we seek reassurance from each other.
Following the death of Mahsa Amini our daily lives changed drastically and probably, permanently. We get reminders from one another every day emphasising that things will never go back to the way they were.
For many, their focus is only on the revolution. Everything else seems trivial and unimportant. We are kept in the dark. But we thrive to dig ourselves out. Access to social media platforms is blocked. Limited access is only possible via the use of VPNs. Yet, Social media has become a billboard in the service of the revolution as citizens and businesses have stopped publishing and sharing any content irrelevant to the socio-political climate we live in. Artists have stopped organizing shows and concerts. People have boycotted social events and reduced visits to restaurants and cafes.
These days we are a nation in mourning, we are a nation with a higher calling. Celebrations or happy gatherings are frowned upon by many. People only attend to necessities.
However, the regime wants things back to normal. They want us indifferent, scared, sad and busy with the mundane. In an attempt to normalise the situation, the minister of culture and guidance threatened singers and musicians to compose and publish a new piece as soon as possible; otherwise, they will be penalised by getting barred from leaving the country or banned from financial transactions. Two weeks ago, he made a dramatic plea to artists as well urging them to resume work and organise concerts. His remarks provoked mockery and backlash. Cinema director –Mani Haghighi- published a video on his social media addressing the minister saying: “We are mourning and we are burying the bodies of our loved ones in the four corners of this country, we don’t have time to dance for you.”
More than a hundred artists have been arrested or prosecuted so far. This week, high-profile Iranian actress -Traneh Alidoosti- who was detained for supporting protests was released by bail following receiving tremendous support. Many famous Iranian artists staged sit-ins outside Evin’s prison for several days in a row, and over 600 international artists signed a petition urging the Islamic Republic to free her.
The academic force behind the revolution is still bearing the ultimate weight of suppression as teachers are being punished for supporting protesting students. While several university professors have been made redundant within previous weeks, this week, the salary of some others has been cut without notice. Students of the Faculty of Music at the University of Tehran staged a sit-in in solidarity with associate professor and Faculty Member Azin Movahed. The salary of Mojtaba Mojtahedi, a professor at the University of Tehran’s School of Mathematics, and three others have also been cut, students reported.
Burial and memorial services for martyrs continued this week in the cities of Piranshahr, Mahabad, Yazd, Izeh and Javanrud. Ceremonies sparked tension between people and security forces, causing more deaths and riots. During the 40th-day memorial service for 7 martyrs in the city of Javanrud, security forces shot and killed a young protester named Borhan Elyasi. Subsequently, violent riots broke out again and heavily armed forces were dispatched to the city. Citizens reported internet and electricity blackouts and a state of curfew while arrests and shootings lasted for several days. The same scenario was laid out during the militarisation of the small city of Semirom in Isfahan in response to mass riots.
These days not everyone is so lucky to retain the lifeless bodies of their loved ones for burials and memorials. people in the city of Izeh had to bury the clothes of Mahmood Ahmadi in a symbolic act as his body was stolen by the regime and never handed to his family. Another citizen Hamed Salahshoor who was kidnapped and killed by IRGC forces was also buried in an unmarked grave in a faraway location, without knowing or consent of his family. His family and friends retaliated by illegally unearthing his corpse and transferring it to his hometown where he was buried like a hero during a grand ceremony. Islamic regime steals dead bodies of martyrs and allocates unmarked graves to them so their names get consigned to oblivion. The shrine of martyrs scares them as it becomes a touchstone for the resistance movement and a symbol of bravery. Their tombs are treated like sacred places and meeting points where citizens renew their vows for the revolution and convene to honour, respect, and celebrate the lives of martyrs and the values they died for.
This week, the regime tried to recoup and salvage its militant posture not only by adopting a strategy of maximum suppression in small cities but by throwing a grand pro-regime event to mobilise their supporters and enforce their legitimacy. On Tuesday, authorities planned a grand commemoration ceremony for the assassination anniversary of Gen. Soleimani. the infamous “shadow commander” served in Syria to promote Shiism and prevent the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime during the Syrian conflict when pro-democracy protests erupted in 2011. He was killed in a US drone strike 3 years ago. Despite large-scale propaganda and splashing a fortune, the regime still fails to make a national hero of him. Free foods and giveaways were offered at his memorial services but the majority of the people dismissed the occasion and defied the rhetoric of the regime by burning his banners and statues. Some Iranians showed their disrespect by cooking cutlets and posting photos as a taunt to the manner of his killing. A famous Iranian chef and influencer Navab Ebrahimi was arrested and his restaurant shut down for cooking cutlets on a memorial day!
While the general public takes advantage of every occasion to come up with new creative ways to challenge the regime, detainees stand tall and strong causing mullahs to stagger. This week 15 Iranian women launched a hunger strike against the regime’s prison conditions, in the infamous Kachoui prison in Karaj. Their families gathered outside the prison to follow up with the conditions of their loved ones.
Elham Modaresi, a 32-year-old Iranian painter, started the strike
in response to the Iranian regime forcing her to make a false confession. Soon, 14 others including Armita Abbasi joined her.
But that wasn’t the only horrendous news coming out of prisons. On Saturday two protesters named Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hoseini were executed by hanging. They were both athletes accused of killing a security agent during protests.
Deaths do not end here. A young painter, Maryam Soleimanian, also died this week by taking her own life after finding out that she was barred from leaving the country while she was about to board a plane to move to Austria to commence her studies.
Tehran resembles an apocalyptic city. Our heroes are getting executed or die from torture or food strikes and the rest of us are from breathing poisonous gas. Several industrial cities in Iran including Tehran, Ahwaz and Arak have turned into gas chambers as power plants resort to burning low-quality heavy fuel oil called Mazut due to natural gas shortages. Only in Ahvaz, 602 people have visited medical centres within 24 hours due to symptoms caused by air pollution, reported Ahwaz medical science institution. This week images of the haze recorded by citizens and reports of morbid symptoms went viral on social media.
Looking forward to days when we can breathe fresh air and eat and drink without feeling guilty again. That’s all folks. Thanks for listening to my story. Hope you come back next week.
