Iran: the threat of the Pasdaran is also aimed at Europe
The amendment proposed by the Conservatives and Reformists group was approved by the European Parliament with a large majority: of the 598 deputies, there were only 9 against and 31 abstentions. So Brussels has decided to include the Iranian Pasdaran, also known as the “guardians of the Islamic revolution” (IRGC), in the list of terrorist organizations.
It is a paramilitary body which in 1979 sided in support of the revolution fromayatollah khomeini, which took the place of ski Pahlavi. Today the Pasdaran are the protagonists of the violence and numerous crimes against human rights now on the agenda in Iran, during the protests following the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Tehran has threatened retaliation against Europe, to avert this measure, but Brussels listened to the cry for help of the 13,000 Iranian activists who marched under the headquarters of the European Parliament. Among these, there was also the young woman Rayhane Mianji, who, interviewed by affaritaliani.it, explains why it is only a first step: “Yes, it is an extraordinary success, but the process will only end on January 23rd. We hope to succeed because, in addition to repressing the Iranian people, the Pasdaran also economically manage terrorist activities around the world. The next step will have to be the identification of the various people who, in Europe, are connected to the Iranian Pasdaran. And their current accounts”.
On the domestic front, however, how is the protest proceeding in Iran?
“Besides the street protests, which fortunately many are now talking about, there are various other forms of rebellion. We are aiming for a national strike, especially of the most important companies, starting with the oil companies, even if this obviously will result in lost profits for the people. We are also working on the boycott of the many companies that are directly linked to the regime and many brands have already been affected, in various sectors. They range from food to transport: I give the example of Snap (a kind of Uber) , whose drivers had the task of recording the addresses of people who used their cars to return from protest demonstrations Another form of rebellion is the withdrawal of money from current accounts, to put banks in difficulty and therefore also the regime. We are also buying euros and dollars, to weaken the Rial, the Iranian national currency. And just today (Thursday 19 January) we are also boycotting the entrance exams to the university, with a strong mobilization on social networks”.
However, traces are left on social networks, how do you avoid controls and repression by the authorities?
“Using private groups, but also paying attention to the numerous infiltrators who are on social networks just to discover our moves. The leaders of the various areas form small nuclei, in order not to circulate too much information, for example on meeting places and times. However we succeed well, as evidenced by the fact that today and tomorrow the Internet in Iran is blocked, precisely because they want to hinder our campaign to boycott the entrance exams”.
If this happens today, why will the network be blocked again tomorrow?
“Because in the south of Iran, i.e. in Kurdistan and Balochistan, there is prayer every Friday, which is fundamental above all for the Sunnis. And after the prayer, protests always begin, so they have decided to preventively obscure the news of the massacres that surely there will be. In these areas, it is customary for houses to have weapons, but we ask that you adopt a form of peaceful protest. This is not the time for armed struggles: the Iranian people seek only peace and freedom”.
On the web or in person, caution is needed, given that the Pasdaran also practice rape in addition to violence…
“And unfortunately not from now. From the first day they came to power, they started raping girls, even using a religious motivation”.
Which?
“If a girl is sentenced to death and the execution takes place while she is still a virgin, she will go to Heaven. That is why they rape her before killing her: to deny them even that. I really have no words to comment. prison. CNN also talked about it, when it interviewed a girl who, after being detained, managed to escape to Kurdistan. Thanks to her, the whole world discovered what happens in the prisons of Iran: horrendous things and, unfortunately, , 100% confirmed.”
Horrors that are also inflicted on men, right?
“Yes. It happens in two ways. Either the protesters are caught and put in cells with murderers and drug dealers, who are specifically asked to rape them, or the police themselves rape them during interrogations, often using batons and bottles. I also struggle to tell these things, they are so uncivilized and inhuman…”
Do you want to stop for a moment?
“No, let’s go on, because we have to let everyone know what’s happening. Another thing that happens in prisons is this: if they really have to release a prisoner because they can’t find a way to sentence him to death, they drug him so much that within two days at the latest he dies. It also happened to a boy who lived in Bologna for study reasons, but who had to return to Iran to take care of his sick mother. This is also documented by the case of a woman who felt very badly after she got out of prison and her tests showed very high levels of ketamine and potassium. They had made her assimilate it through food, but soldiers also take drugs, who do it intentionally”.
To increase aggression?
“Yes, since they have to stay on the street for hours, even in the cold, thanks to ketamine they can survive without eating. The use of the drug also explains gruesome acts of violence, such as shooting in the eyes of a person standing a meter away from you . A person with normal sanity does not behave like this. Yet, these scenes are more and more frequent”.
How come?
“Even when they don’t want to kill whoever is in front of them, they often shoot in the eyes of the victim, especially if it’s a girl: so she doesn’t die, but carries a very serious disability for life. There are many girls in Iran with one eye alone. And sometimes they even do it on other soldiers, because anyone who is not hostile enough towards the ‘enemy’ is not fit to go on the streets. The world must know about the horrors that are happening in Iran”.
We are here on purpose. Indeed, thanks for the testimony of her …
“No, thanks to you. But know that it is important because these horrors do not happen only in Iran. Another activity of the Pasdaran consists in the sale of drones to Russia, which uses them in the war against Ukraine. Putin was promised that, if necessary, soldiers ready to fight in the field will also be sent. This is why Europe must help the Iranian people: not ‘only’ our future is at stake, but yours too”.
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