The Iranian regime says it offers imprisoned protesters

Families of imprisoned Iranian protesters say the country’s rulers have proposed cruel treatment: publicly celebrate the Islamic Revolution that brought them to power or risk the lives of their loved ones.

Human rights organizations say more than 12,000 Iranians were arrested amid the wave of protests against the regime that devastated the country at the beginning of January.

Bazdasht Shodegan is an organization formed by former Iranian prisoners that offers online support to detainees and their families. It says the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Intelligence Ministry contacted the families of some current prisoners and offered them what the group called “an inhumane dilemma”: attend Wednesday’s marches to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the revolution or risk the lives of their children.

Several other human rights groups following developments in Iran also reported on messages delivered to prisoners’ families.

Demanding ransoms from families in this way is not something new. He iranian regime has a long history of putting pressure on families of dissidents and protesters against the regime.

“On the one hand, a prisoner is forced to confess under brutal torture,” says Bazdasht Shodegan. “On the other hand, his family is forced to pretend to support the regime. This is a complete cycle of physical and mental torture.”

Families contacted recently were told that if they wanted their children (many of whom face long prison terms or even the death penalty) to be released or spared the harshest punishments, they would have to join pro-regime revolutionary celebrations organized by the state to demonstrate their loyalty in public.

To add insult to injury, they were ordered to take videos of themselves showing “loyalty” to the regime and send them to the security services.

These videos, along with statements from well-known figures retracting their support for the January protests, amount to trophies for the regime: tools of humiliation and intimidation designed to prevent future dissent.

One of those figures is the businessman Mohamed Saedinia.

He is famous in Iran as the owner of a chain of sweet shops and lively cafes loved by Tehran’s young liberals. At the beginning of the uprising, Saedinia closed its stores and posted a message on social media saying it stood in solidarity with other Iranians who had closed their businesses to express their anger over the catastrophic fall of the Iranian currency.

Saedinia was later arrested along with his son and accused of supporting “the troublemakers”. Iranian authorities warned that if he was found guilty, the regime would seize his assets.

This week, Saedinia’s humiliating 180-degree turn was published by Fars, Iran’s semi-official pro-regime news service.

“Unfortunately, due to problems that occurred in the market,” says the statement attributed to Saedinia, “my son mistakenly closed our stores in accordance with the [actions of other Tehran businesses]. “Both he and I realize our mistake.”

“Therefore, we apologize to the dear people of Iran and will show our obedience to our beloved leader and our displeasure with the criminal United States by participating in the march to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution.”

No one in Iran may believe it, but everyone will get the message.