Page 13 - TORCH Magazine #15 - February 2020

19 Set up terror bases in Syria
Iran operates at least 10 terror bases in Syria with some key facilities near the border with Israel. In 2018 it was reported that 20,000 militia fighters loyal to the Syrian regime were trained by Iranian personnel. Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, also has a foothold in Syria causing further destabilising of the region and a direct threat to Israel.
20
23 Harassed Iranian athletes and
Backed Hezbollah’s foiled bomb plot in London, involving 3 tonnes of explosives
Iranian Judo professional, Saeid Mollaei, was forced to flee to Europe in September after Iranian authorities forced him to throw a match to avoid an Israeli rival at judo’s world championship in Tokyo. He reluctantly gave in to Iran’s demands to throw the match after security personnel were sent to his home in Iran, with friends and family messaging him that they had been threatened. In January, Iran’s only female Olympic medallist shocked the country’s regime by defecting. In a strongly worded letter online explaining her decision, the bronze medal winner in Rio 2016 ripped into the regime describing herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran”. Two Iranian news anchors for the state-owned broadcaster, both quit in protest of the regime in January. The well- known public figures said they could no longer be mouthpieces for the regime with one saying, “forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies.”
Israel provided Britain with the intelligence to foil Hezbollah’s stockpiling of explosives in North West London in 2015. The ammonium nitrate discovered was more than what was used in the Oklahoma City bombing. Despite the discovery of the plot, it was another four years before Hezbollah was banned outright in the UK and this news was made public.
24 Abused human rights of its own citizens
21 Suppressed freedom of speech
Iran’s judicial system is used as a tool to silence critics with the accused being denied legal representation, usually being held indefinitely. Lawyers have also been known to have been imprisoned. In June 2018, authorities arrested prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who had defended several women detained for protesting the compulsory hijab earlier in the year. Women do not receive equal treatment under law and face widespread discrimination and restrictions in movement. For example, consistent with sharia, a woman’s testimony in court is given only half the weight of a man. Certain ethnic minorities and religious groups face discrimination, whilst Iran is second to China in the number of executions it carries out each year.
Thousands of Iranians have been detained for taking part in nationwide anti-regime protests. The internet, apps and social media that connect Iranians with the outside world are also heavily restricted and TV broadcasting is tightly controlled and censored. Academic institutions crack down on students having political views and there are harsh penalties if citizens engage in open discussion criticising the regime.
22 Persecuted Christian converts
The church is growing in Iran despite it being one of the most dangerous places to live as a Christian. Christians from Armenian and Assyrian churches are allowed to practise their faith openly, but they still face discrimination, surveillance, and it is illegal for them to share the Christian message with Muslims. However, those that convert from Islam to Christianity must practice their faith secretly due to the death penalty being in force. Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List reported that at least 169 Christians were arrested in the past year. The relatives of Christians often face public humiliation while their family members await trial and serve long prison sentences. The Iranian regime conducts mass arrests of Christians during the Christmas season to intimidate believers and prevent the spread of Christianity. This year was no exception. Reports indicate that at least nine Christians were arrested on 30 December 2019, on charges of “affiliation with Christian Zionists and recruitment of Muslims to home churches.” Despite Christianity being considered an existential threat to Iran, reports suggest that the number of Christian converts is growing rapidly.
25 Brutally cracked down on anti-regime
celebrities
protesters
In late 2019, early 2020, hundreds-of-thousands of anti-regime protesters took to the streets having had enough of the failing economy and corruption have been detained by authorities over the past few years. The regime cracked down, using live fire to quell descent. More than 1,500 civilians were killed with thousands more injured or arrested. The constitution states that public demonstrations may be held if they are not “detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.” Typically, this means only state-sanctioned demos. Other gatherings are closely monitored and have been subject to brutal dispersing by regime security. Former detainees have reported being beaten during arrest and subjected to torture until they confess to crimes dictated by their interrogators.
CUFI.ORG.UK 13