The mothers of Iran martyrs express their support for the protests in Khuzestan and other parts of the country. At the same time, anti-regime protests with the motto of “death to the dictator” continue in various parts of Iran, and women are part of these protests.
Mothers of Iran martyrs support Khuzestan protests
Mothers of Iran martyrs Navid Behboudi, Mehrdad Mo’infar, Pejman Qolipour, Milad Mohagheghi, and Amir-Hossein Zare’i –all shot to death by security forces during the November 2019 uprising—posted messages to declare their support for the protests in Khuzestan.
Moreover, the mother of Amir Arshad Tajmir also posted a message. Her son, 25, was crushed under the wheels of two State Security Force vehicles that ran over him three times on December 27, 2009, at the height of the 2009 uprising against the clerical regime.
In part of her message, Shahin Mahinfar said, “As a grieving mother who seeks justice for her child, I express my sympathies and solidarity with all the mothers who have recently joined us in the thirsty Khuzestan… Today, I want to say that I am a Khuzestani, too. A thirsty Khuzestani, a hungry Khuzestani. A Khuzestani afflicted by drought, who is ironically poor while enjoying the maximum wealth. Please accept my sympathies and know that my heart beats for you.”
In her message, the mother of Mehrdad Mo’infar said, “I declare my support for the brave people of Khuzestan. I hail all the dear people of Khuzestan and the brave people of Tabriz. I hail all the arisen cities, particularly the dear residents of Tehran. Demands for water and thirst must not be answered by bullets… The grieving mothers who seek justice for their children stand by the mothers who have recently joined our ranks. They are not alone.”
In her message, the mother of Navid Behboudi said, “I hail the arisen people and youths. I hail all the arisen cities. I hail the martyrs of these days. The answer to water demands is not bullets. You, who respond to people’s demand for water with bullets, are worse than Yazid and Shemr [the murderers of the 3rd Shiite leader, Imam Hussein]. The mothers [of martyrs] of November 2019 support the people of Khuzestan.”
Mrs. Batoul Hosseini, the mother of Behnam Mahjoubi, who was killed while in detention, said in her message, “I declare my support for the grieving mothers of Khuzestan… I warn those who ordered the troops to open fire on our country’s youths that we will persevere and defend our rights. Stop your killing machine. The answer to demands for water is not bullets. I am a Khuzestani, too.”
The mother of Milad Mohagheghi hailed the thirsty people of Khuzestan. She said, “We, the mothers who seek justice for their children who were killed in November 2019, express our sympathy and support for the brave people of Khuzestan and other arisen cities. We say Khuzestan is not alone. We tell the mothers of Khuzestan to cry out our common pain.”
The mother of Amir Hossein Zare’e said, “They killed our youths for petrol in November 2019. Now, they are killing our innocent youths in Khuzestan for water. The November 2019 mothers support the protests in Khuzestan. Thirst must not be answered by bullets!”
In parts of her moving message, Mahboubeh Ramezani, the mother of Pejman Qolipour, said, “My country’s youths are getting killed for water. They killed [our youths] for petrol. Now, they are killing for water, for drinking water. Khorramshahr is lying next to river, but it is thirsty. They are being killed for water. Enough is enough! I don’t want to see our young men end up in the cemeteries. I don’t want the mothers of my country to end up holding the framed pictures of their children. I don’t want to see another mother like me.”
Protests continue in cities across Iran
Protests in solidarity with the uprising in Khuzestan have continued in various cities.
In Baharestan of Isfahan, people gathered on July 27 to protest the power cut-off. They chanted, “Khuzestan, Isfahan, unity, unity!” They tore down a large banner of Khamenei and set it on fire, a young woman reported from Baharestan.
The residents of Tehranpars district in the capital also took to the streets on Tuesday night, July 27, to protest the power cut-off. They confronted the IRGC Bassij agents and shouted “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei.”
In other parts of Tehran, people went to the rooftops at night and chanted, “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei.”
On July 27, 2021, there were more protests in various parts of Alborz Province in Karaj and Gohardasht, where people clashed with security forces and resisted their attack. They chanted, “No Shah, no [supreme] leader, death to the oppressor.” A group of women chanted in Gohardasht chanted, “So long as the mullahs are in power, our country will not be prosperous!”
There were more clashes and confrontations on July 27 between the people and the security forces in Darreh-deriej in Kermanshah, Ayvan-e Gharb (Ilam), and Kordkuy (Golestan).
On July 27, 2021, the retirees of Tehran and Karaj, including many women, held a picket line supporting the uprising in Khuzestan.
