Report: Iranian Revolutionary Guards' sectarian activity rises in Sunni areas
12 September 2017Al Arabiya
The Iranian repressive and sectarian regime against Sunnis in the country
warns of an upcoming civil war, according to a recent reformist opposition
report.
First published on amadnews site, which is allied with the opposition, the
report reflects the Revolutionary Guards' continued and escalating activity in
predominantly Sunni areas.
It also noted that cleric's activities and the Guard's institutions are
increasing in southern areas of the country, specifically in Sistan,
Baluchistan and Khorasan provinces.
According to the report, among these activities are calls of a sectarian
nature. The most recent event called for was Eid al-Ghadeer, a Shiite
celebration. Sunnis see this form of celebration in their areas as a form of
provocation.
The Iranian regime is also accused of working to eliminate Sunnis and
disrupting development in their provinces.
Iran: Arrest of human rights defender seeking truth about disappeared
family members
The Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release a human
rights defender arrested from her home last night, who has previously been
targeted by the authorities for her peaceful activism, said Amnesty
International.
Raheleh Rahemipour has spent years trying to uncover the truth about what
happened to her brother and baby niece who were forcibly disappeared while in
custody during the early 1980s. She was sentenced to a year in prison earlier
this year in connection with these efforts and has been awaiting the outcome
of her appeal.
''Raheleh Rahemipour has already been forced to endure the anguish and
distress of having her loved ones forcibly disappeared and faces an unjust
prison sentence for her efforts to learn their fate. Her arrest provides
further evidence of the Iranian authorities' ruthless determination to
intimidate her into silence and prolong her suffering,'' said Magdalena
Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty
International.
''Instead of lashing out against aggrieved families searching for their loved
ones, the Iranian authorities must meet their legitimate demands for truth and
justice.''
Instead of lashing out against aggrieved families searching for their loved
ones, the Iranian authorities must meet their legitimate demands for truth and
justice
Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty
International
Last night three officials arrived at Raheleh Rahemipour's home in Tehran and
presented an arrest warrant from the Office of the Prosecutor in Evin prison.
The officials, who are believed to be from the Ministry of Intelligence, did
not identify themselves and gave no reason for her arrest, simply saying she
was being taken into custody for interrogation. She has not been allowed to
have any contact with her lawyer since she was taken.
In February 2017, Raheleh Rahemipour was sentenced to a year in prison for
''spreading propaganda against the system'' by a Revolutionary Court in
Tehran. The court cited as ''evidence'' her media interviews about the
forcible disappearance of her family members and her participation in peaceful
gatherings where she held a placard reading ''You killed my brother. What did
you do with his child?'' The UN have previously called for the Iranian
authorities to stop their harassment of Raheleh Rahemipour.
Raheleh Rahemipour's niece, Golrou, was born in Evin prison in April 1984 but
was taken away from her mother at just 15 days old apparently to undergo
medical tests. The family was subsequently told that she had died but the
authorities never provided a death certificate or information about the
circumstances of her death or burial.
The baby's father, Raheleh Rahemipour's brother, Hossein, was arrested in
August 1983 along with his pregnant wife for his affiliation with an
opposition political group. Around a year after his arrest his family received
a phone call from Evin prison telling them to pick up his personal effects
which they understood to mean he had been executed. His body was never
returned to the family and no death certificate was ever issued.
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