In a disturbing turn of events, an imprisoned Iranian, Mehdi Mousavian, has initiated a hunger strike to protest the Iranian judiciary’s plan to gouge out his left eye as a retribution for allegedly blinding a policeman during a 2017 protest. Mousavian was sentenced in 2019 to retribution-in-kind, for throwing a stone at the policeman’s eye, a sentence he vehemently denies.
The policeman initially demanded an exorbitant 14 billion tomans (approximately $280,000) from Mousavian’s family as compensation. However, unable to afford such a hefty ransom, the family faced the grim reality of the Iranian legal system allowing the literal implementation of the principle “eye for an eye.” Blinding as a form of punishment is a medieval practice employed by the Islamic Republic to instill fear in society.
The United Nations cannot turn a blind eye to such barbaric practices in 2024. The Iranian people urge the international community, especially Western countries to spot appeasing this regime and convey a resounding message that implementing such punishments will result in severe consequences. This call comes at a time when the regime’s brutal repression continues to escalate.
The current situation indicates a regime less constrained than in previous years, evident in the surge of executions and human rights violations by the mullahs’ regime in Iran. It is imperative for the global community to exert maximum pressure on the regime and launch a campaign of unwavering support for the Iranian people.
Mousavian’s impending punishment occurs amid a notable spike in executions throughout Iran. In 2024, Tehran has already executed 61 people. Alarming statistics from 2023, as reported by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), reveal at least 864 executions—the highest figure in the last eight years and a staggering 34% increase from 2022. This escalation contrasts sharply with the 646 executions in 2022 and at least 450 in 2021. These figures exclude the hundreds of protesters killed by the regime’s security forces since nationwide demonstrations erupted in September 2022.
Despite the growing number of executions and draconian punishments, Iranian citizens persist in risking their lives by protesting against the regime.
Workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group (INSIG) in Ahvaz staged a substantial rally on Sunday, January 28, to emphasize their demands and express discontent over the regime’s neglect of their needs. This marked the sixth consecutive day of protests, with contract oil workers in Gachsaran also joining in. These workers advocate for reforms in their work status, fair payment of wages and benefits, and the elimination of middlemen contractors taking a cut from their earnings.
Simultaneously, workers of the Makran Desalination Project in Chabahar held a rally as regime authorities persist in delaying their unpaid wages. In Hamedan, employees of Hegmataneh Petrochemical Company continued their rally for the second day, protesting three months of overdue wages.
Gachsaran witnessed another large protest rally by oil sector workers, demanding better working conditions, the implementation of job classification laws, higher wages, and other essential needs. In Ahvaz and Shush, retirees and pensioners of the Social Security Organization resumed their weekly protest rallies, emphasizing their demand for higher pensions. Despite the regime’s own laws requiring pension adjustments according to economic conditions, retirees are facing increased financial pressure as the regime refrains from increasing pensions.
On January 27, contract workers of the South Pars Gas Field in various cities held protest rallies, underscoring the regime’s continued indifference to their demands for proper job classification and improved working conditions. These persistent protests across southern Iran reflect the regime’s disregard for the legitimate demands of hardworking individuals. The international community must not turn a blind eye to the plight of these citizens, standing in solidarity against the regime’s repressive policies.
