Latest update – 9:00 pm CET
Iran’s nationwide uprising is marking its 126th day on Thursday with people especially in the capital Tehran continuing their anti-regime campaign in the form of night protests. The ruling mullahs continues to seek a solution to this crisis as signs indicate that Europe is setting the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in its crosshairs with new punishing measures.
Protests in Iran have to this day expanded to at least 282 cities. Over 750 people have been killed and more than 30,000 are arrested by the regime’s forces, according to sources of Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The names of 637 killed protesters have been published by the PMOI/MEK.
The European Parliament made a strong move on Thursday adopting a resolution with a large cross-party majority vote on calling on the European Union and its Member States to proscribe the Iranian regime’s IRGC as a terrorist organization and expand its sanctions lists to all individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations in the country, including regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the regime’s charity organizations (Bonyads) linked to the IRGC and the 227 members of the Iranian Parliament who called on the judiciary to make use of the death penalty.
598 Members of the European Parliament voted on Thursday to adopt an amendment presented by the European Conservatives and Reformists Group that has now become part of the European Parliament report on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy.
There is no doubt #IslamicRevolutionaryGuardsCorps is driving the brutal crackdown on the people of Iran, spreading terrorism in the region, assassinations across Europe & supplying Russia with deadly weapons.
I drafted a resolution & amendments stating: #IRGCterrorists. pic.twitter.com/xIfla0kTKM— Anna Fotyga Biuro Poselskie (@AnnaFotyga_PE) January 16, 2023
The amendment “condemns the brutal crackdown by Iran, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), on the demonstrators after the death of Mahsa Amini, following her violent arrest, abuse and ill-treatment by Iran’s ‘morality police’; calls for the EU and its Member States to include the IRGC in the EU’s terrorist list in the light of its terrorist activity, the repression of protesters and its supplying of drones to Russia.”
Iranian opposition coalition NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi reiterated her previous call from March 2010 on the international community to designate the Iranian regime’s IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) on their blacklist of terrorist organizations.
“As I have said since years ago, the IRGC must be blacklisted as a terrorist entity, and the mullahs’ intelligence agents expelled from Europe,” the NCRI President-elect emphasized.
As I have said since years ago, the #IRGC must be blacklisted as a terrorist entity, and the mullahs’ intelligence agents expelled from Europe. #BlacklistIRGChttps://t.co/G0mnNemj7l pic.twitter.com/RAGHpLobUH
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 18, 2023
In response, people in the cities of Saqqez (the hometown of the late Mahsa Amini) and Mahabad, in western and northwest Iran, respectively, took to the streets to celebrate the European Parliament resolution calling on the European Union to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
January 19 – Saqqez, western #Iran
Locals in Mahsa Amini's hometown celebrate the European Parliament's resolution calling for #BlaklistIRGC.#IRGCterrorists #مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبر pic.twitter.com/0J83NOGFG1— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
On Thursday night, in the city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province of southern Iran locals began chanting anti-regime slogans specifically targeting Khamenei and his crackdown apparatus. The slogans included:
“Death to the IRGC! Death to the Basij!”
“Basij & ISIS! You are our ISIS!”
“This is the year Seyed Ali (Khamenei) is overthrown!”
January 19 – Bandar Abbas, southern #Iran
Locals chanting:
"Death to the IRGC! Death to the Basij!"
"Basij & ISIS! You are our ISIS!"
"This is the year Seyed Ali (Khamenei) is overthrown!"#IranRevolution2023#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبرpic.twitter.com/EzKldIt06c— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
On Thursday in the city of Dehgolan, western Iran, locals gathered to mark the 40th day of Shadman Ahmadi’s murder by the regime’s oppressive security forces during the ongoing Iran revolution protests. They began chanting: “Khamenei is a murderer! His rule is illegitimate!” and “Martyrs don’t die!”
In other reports, workers of a local oil terminal Qeshm Island are on strike and continuing the nationwide protests against the regime on the 126th day of the uprising.
January 19 – Dehgolan, western #Iran
Locals gathered to mark the 40th day of Shadman Ahmadi's murder by regime security forces began chanting: "Khamenei is a murderer & his rule is illegitimate!"#IranRevolution2023#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبر pic.twitter.com/497FMDsPcI— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
Reports from Isfahan showed farmers taking to the streets again, protesting and demanding answers from regime officials regarding their ongoing dilemmas. This is the third day this week that these protests are continuing, after these farmers time gathered outside the local governor’s office on Wednesday.
January 19 – Isfahan, central #Iran
Local farmers are marching and protesting the regime's policies, demanding answers to their long-raised issues.#IranRevolution2023 #FreeIran2023 pic.twitter.com/8NuBJDhLCb— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
They’re seeking answers regarding water portions for their lands that have been left devastated due to the regime’s rerouting projects of local rivers for their projects, including malignant initiatives pursued by the IRGC.
On Tuesday these farmers were protesting the regime’s corrupt policies and demanding answers to their dilemmas that have been raised with officials for years and yet left unanswered and in limbo. They were seen marching and chanting:
“Death to this deceptive government!”
“Raisi, you liar! What happened to the Zayandehrud River?!”
In the city of Izeh Khuzestan Province of southwest Iran locals gathered to mark the 40th day of Donya Farhadi’s murder by the regime’s oppressive security forces during the Iran revolution protests. Such ceremonies are becoming scenes of anti-regime protests.
January 19 – Izeh, southwest #Iran
Locals gathered to mark the 40th day of Donya Farhadi's murder by the regime's oppressive security forces. Such ceremonies are becoming scenes of anti-regime protests.#IranRevolution2023#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبرpic.twitter.com/E9UJM2g4AY— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
In Zahedan, regime security forces began imposing strict security measures and setting up checkpoints. Long line of vehicles were reported as officials sought to prevent anti-regime protests expected on Friday.
January 19 – Zahedan, southeast #Iran
Long line of vehicles before a checkpoint. Regime authorities are resorting to drastic measures to prevent anti-regime protests expected on Friday.#IranRevolution2023#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبر pic.twitter.com/jXcieOvUGe— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 19, 2023
On Wednesday night people in various districts of Tehran, including Ekbatan, Marzdaran, and Ferdows Boulevard were seen chanting anti-regime slogans. Regime authorities have been known to dispatch security units to such restive areas to quell these acts of protests and even open fire with different ammunition and tear gas into people’s homes.
January 18 – Tehran, #Iran
Locals in the capital's Ekbatan district chanting: "Death to the dictator!"#IranRevolution2023 #FreeIran2023 pic.twitter.com/n7258sbOVZ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 18, 2023
The protests in Iran began following the death of Mahsa Amini. Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old woman from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, western Iran, who traveled to Tehran with her family, was arrested on Tuesday, September 13, at the entry of Haqqani Highway by the regime’s so-called “Guidance Patrol” and transferred to the “Moral Security” agency.
She was brutally beaten by the morality police and died of her wounds in a Tehran hospital on September 16. The event triggered protests that quickly spread across Iran and rekindled the people’s desire to overthrow the regime.
