Iran Arrests Supreme Leader’s Niece Amid Crackdown on Critics
The Islamic Republic expands repression on those denouncing the deadly response to protests
WSJ’s Shelby Holliday breaks down the history and symbolism behind three key themes that have emerged from the recent protests in Iran. [Noah Friedman]
Iran arrested a human-rights activist who is also the niece of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to her family, part of a growing effort by the country’s regime to crack down on those who are critical of its response to a two-month-old protest movement.
Iranian authorities arrested human-rights advocate Farideh Moradkhani on Wednesday after she went to a prosecutor’s office following a summons, her brother said over the weekend.
Ms. Moradkhani, whose mother was the sister of Mr. Khamenei, comes from a branch of the family that has publicly opposed his rule. In a video posted on YouTube by her brother on Friday, she called her uncle’s rule a “murderous and child-killing regime.” She also criticized what she says is the international community’s inaction and called on foreign governments to sever their ties with the Islamic Republic.
Over 15,000 people have been arrested since protests began in mid-September, and authorities are seeking the death penalty in at least 21 cases, according to Amnesty International.
The protests erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in police detention in Tehran after allegedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code. Her death caused unrest in Kurdistan, where military forces have carried out an intense crackdown, and quickly spread to other parts of Iran.
At least 451 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since the protests erupted, according to the nonprofit Human Rights Activists in Iran. They include about 63 children, including a nine-year-old whose death on Nov. 16 has stirred renewed angeramong demonstrators.
In response, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted last week to investigate the alleged human-rights abuses by Iranian authorities.
On Monday, a government spokesperson said Iran wouldn’t cooperate with the U.N. probe and blamed foreign powers for the unrest. “There is reliable evidence and precise information about the Western governments’ role in the riots,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.