At least 1,000 protesters including PMOI supporters were arrested during the demonstrations in August, Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said.
Anti-government protests by Iranians fed up with their nation’s economic woes have spread to 27 cities and 13 provinces, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, posing the biggest challenge to the Iranian regime since January’s nationwide demonstrations.
NCRI pointed out that Many of those who were arrested during the January uprising and released on bail were again arrested and sentenced to long prison terms.
“Most of the arrests are carried out by criminal plainclothes agents controlled by the Revolutionary Guards and Khamenei’s office. They participate in the demonstrations, and arrest the demonstrators and activists by photographing and filming them, and detain them far from the demonstrations or by attacking their homes. In some cities, such as Karaj, plainclothes agents directed part of the population to the alleys and streets by chanting deviating slogans and detained them,” NCRI stated.
“Many of the detainees are transferred to secret safe houses, and are interrogated by the IRGC agents and severely harassed and then delivered to official prisons, such as Evin.
Many of the arrested in Karaj and Tehran were transferred to Ward 8 of Gohardasht Prison. No one has access to and can contact with prisoners in this ward. Prison guards at this ward are different from other guards and are not from ‘Iran Prisons Organization’. Detainees are taken to the jail from the beginning with a blindfold, so that he or she would not know where the ward is located,” NCRI said.
