Iran Arrests Five Jewish Citizens Amid Protests: Exclusive
Reports received by Iran International say the Islamic Republic has arrested five Jewish citizens amid nationwide protests against the regime.
Reports received by Iran International say the Islamic Republic has arrested five Jewish citizens amid nationwide protests against the regime.
Four of these citizens have been detained in Tehran and one came under arrest in the southern city of Shiraz in the past few weeks, Iran International has learned.
Reports say despite the Jewish community leaders’ efforts, only one of the inmates has been released so far.
In the early days of antigovernment protests, the leaders of the Jewish community in Iran called on their members not to participate in the protests.
In an unprecedented move, they also asked Jews not to come to the synagogues to practice religious ceremonies.
Meanwhile, some leaders of the Jewish community of Iran, under the pressure of security forces, have reportedly warned Jews in the synagogues that they should not participate in protests and if they are apprehended, they will not take any action to release them.
In this regard, Tehran Jewish Community published an unprecedented statement late November to condemn the uprising against clerical rulers.
The United States on December 2 designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement said those designated as countries of particular concern engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.
The country witnessed widespread business closures on December 5 and 6, followed by what activists said would be large protests on Wednesday. Initial reports from Tehran say that people have begun silent marches from the main Revolution Square to the city’s Azadi monument, as planned by the anonymous organizers.
Security forces are swarming in Tehran streets, although people in an apparent attempt to avoid confrontation are walking in silence towards the destination of the rally at Azadi plaza.
Students also held protests in several universities around the country on Wednesday, which known as Student Day in Iran. Reports say both paramilitary Basij forces and regular security units tried to surround and intimidate the students.
The Wednesday protest action will be a test of the government’s claim that the unrest has ended and plans “by foreign enemies” defeated. Regime hardliners are united in their rhetoric that the protests are nothing more than a plot by foreign intelligence services, although most gatherings were led by teenagers and women.
The government reportedly restricted access to the Internet on Wednesday and made it hard for people to connect to social media platforms and send videos of the protests. We did not receive information from many cities and expect to get more on December 8.
Below we will provided live coverage of events in Iran as we receive information and images. Our coverage lasted 7 hours and ended at 2:00 local time on December 8.
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Just in at midnight Tehran time. A young man Hooman Abdollahi was shot during protests in the Kurdish town of Sanandaj this evening.
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People chanting in Tehran for the clerics "to get lost".
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Protesters blocked a road in the Kurdish populated town of Bukan, a stronghold of protests.
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In the religious city of Mashhad, the second largest urban area in Iran, people chanting "Death to the dictator".
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Protest in Rudsar, a city in northern Iran.
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At 11:20 pm, people are still moving towards Tehran's Azadi monument, with cars honking.
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A terrifying scene as a police anti-protest armored vehicle tries to run over a civilian in a town not far from Tehran.
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Protesters fleeing gunfire near Tehran's Azadi monument Wednesday night.
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Wednesday night in Qazvin, northwest of Tehran. Protesters chanting "Freedom freedom".
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Social media reports say large crowds on foot and in cars are moving toward the Azadi monument in Tehran. Security forces are firing tear gas and also shoot at pedestrians and cars with 'birdshots' from shotguns.
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Protest in the center of the central city of Esfahan at 10:00 pm local time.
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Residents protested in the Ekbatan residential district of Tehran. One of the videos below show security forces arresting protesters and shooting paintballs at them.
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People in Tehran marching toward Azadi plaza. Latest reports say the authorities have turned of the decorative lighting of the Azadi monument where protesters are gathering. Streets are full of security forces and people in some neighborhoods have started separate protests to keep them bogged down.
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The Azadi monument can be seen in this short video and gunfire can be heard.
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People protesting in a Tehran district that is not named in this tweet.
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Protesters chanting, "Death to the dictator" in Azadi Avenue in Tehran as security forces try to disrupt by riding their motorcycles around the crowd.
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Protester have gathered in Kerman, a conservative city in central Iran.
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People set fire to a statue in Dareh Shahrt, Ilam Province, western Iran, as gunfire is heard.
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Protesters marched in Najafabad near Esfahan Wednesday evening, chanting against economic hardships and calling for struggle until the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. There are also reports of protests in the center of Esfahan and sounds of gunfire.
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Protesters lit fires in the streets of Sanandaj in western Iran, chanting "Death to the dictator."
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Latest reports say people in Ahvaz, capital of the oil-rich Khuzestan Province have congregated at two main locations and are calling for unity.
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Protesters in Ardakan, a town in Yazd Province, central Iran.
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Police has deployed women guards at Baharestan square in Tehran amid reports of lack of manpower to confront widespread protest rallies.
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Reports from the northwestern city of Tabriz say people have begun protest marches, although to Internet access denial by government there are no images available yet.
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People chanting "Death to the dictator in a metro station in the capital Tehran Wednesday afternoon.
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All shops are on strike in the Sunni majority city, Zahedan.
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Complete strike by retail businesses in Qazvin, northwest of Tehran on Wednesday, the third day of nationwide strikes by small businesses.
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Total strike by retail businesses in Shiraz, Fars Province on Wednesday.
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Security forces attacked students at Mashhad's Ferdowsi University and arrested at least one person. Students are chanting, "If one of us is killed, there a thousand other behind us."
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Students marching and chanting at Allameh Tabatabei University on Wednesday.
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People marching in silence in Qorva, a small provincial town.
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Western diplomatic sources told Iran International that the Islamic Republic has started negotiations with its Venezuelan allies to ensure they'd offer asylum to regime officials and their families should the situation worsen, and the possibility of a regime change increases.
According to these sources, a delegation of four high-ranking regime officials visited Venezuela in mid-October for negotiations to ensure that the Caracas government would grant asylum to high-ranking officials and their families in case "the unfortunate incident" happens.
In early-November, an unnamed source at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport told Kayhan-London that three flights a day were taking off with "a considerable amount of cargo" bound for Venezuela, adding that "these people get their suitcases out in hours, with fewer passengers and flights. This began about two weeks ago, and we see these movements about two or three times a day."
"Initially, my colleagues and I thought these were embassy employees, though we noticed their car number plates didn't belong to any embassy. We don't know what they are transferring, and whether they are leaving the country with all the luggage or not. Because they won't let us examine closely. We just know that in past weeks, every day there are three to four flights to Venezuela," the source said.
According to another report by the website of UK’s Daily Express in October, top officials of the Islamic Republic were reportedly attempting to secure British passports for their families to exit the country amid the uprising against the regime following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was killed in police custody in September.
Citing an unnamed Iranian source, the Daily Express also claimed that officials have been chartering up to "five flights a day" for their families, adding that some sections of “Tehran’s main airport” have been taken over as a fast-track area for their own family and friends to escape the country.
The source said things are moving fast at the airport, noting that “It started more than two weeks ago. The regime changed all security details at the airport. They were moving civilians (friends and family) from the back entrance of the airport directly to the airplanes for international flights.”
Social media users are reporting regular money transfers abroad by high-ranking officials of the regime. According to one account, former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s wife is said to have transferred €4 million to an ABC Bank account in Shanghai through some agencies in Dubai.
There are also unconfirmed reports that officials are transferring their assets to friendly countries and there are official reports that many high-priced and luxurious homes in the capital Tehran are being sold below market value, strengthening speculations that some of the rich are in a hurry to leave the country. A recent report by the government’s official news agency, IRNA, confirmed the sale of many apartments cheaper than their estimated prices, describing it as the result of lower purchasing power due to the economic crisis.
