The Iranian regime has increased its oppression ahead of the anniversary of the November 2019 uprising in Iran in an attempt to counter possible uprisings.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has reported that the regime is trying to pressure the relatives of the uprising’s martyrs, citing one example of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) agents threatening the family of a protester called Mohammad against holding a memorial for their son.

“The MOIS summoned my husband and son a few days ago. They [MOIS agents] have threatened them against using any hashtags on social medial related to the November uprising,” Mohammad’s mother said.

“They even arrested a friend of my late son, who had only uploaded Mohammad’s photo with a hashtag related to the uprising. After questioning him, they [MOIS agents] confiscated his cellphone,” she added.

Meanwhile, Iranian forces in Behbahan destroyed the road to the Behesht-e Rezvan cemetery, where the November uprising martyrs are buried, on the orders of the local MOIS bureau. This town was a big site for protests and many protesters were killed here by the regime.

Why? Because the regime fears that commemoration of the martyrs could spark new protests, so they want to avoid that at all costs.

Overall, during the November uprising, over 1500 protesters were killed by the State Security Forces (SSF) and Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The brutal crackdown may have quelled the protests, but while you can kill people, you cannot kill an uprising. The factors that led protesters to the street last year have not gone away, in fact, they have worsened because of the regime’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis.

The regime has also increased its human rights violations in order to intimidate the public.

On Sunday, they flogged two young men in Golbahar 74 times for “theft”, while on Saturday a prisoner in Mashhad was executed. Last month, the regime killed Mehrdad Sepehri by pepper-spraying him until he suffocated in public.

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“The clerical regime tortures and humiliates young people in Iran streets. Black-clad guards encircle and brutalize youths, battering their human dignity in a bid to prevent the outbreak of our nation’s wrath. But they only add fuel to the fire by such desperate measures,” said Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi on November 9.

Even the state-run media acknowledge that the mullahs’ terrible governance caused the protests and that they will spread. If even the regime’s media outlets are saying this, how can the regime have any hope of recovery?