July 2nd 2023.
Members of the Iranian community came together in solidarity to rally behind Mahsa Amini, a young woman whose mother was killed by 167 shotgun pellets. The tragic event occurred in September 2022 after Mahsa, accused of wearing her hijab improperly, was taken into police custody. Three days later, her mother, Minoo Majidi, was killed by security forces while joining protests in Kermanshah.
Mahsa firmly believes that her mother’s death was orchestrated by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). This powerful organisation is often compared to the likes of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Hezbollah, and has been held responsible for global terrorist attacks, hostage-taking, and human rights violations, including in the UK. The US Department for Justice even disclosed a plot to kidnap Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad.
In January, MPs unanimously voted for a motion that urged the government to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. This would send a clear message to the clerical regime in Iran that its terrorism and militancy would not be tolerated. However, the Foreign Office has yet to announce anything on the matter.
Mahsa and her sister, Roya, have shown immense bravery in speaking out about their mother’s death. They have had to live with the fear of the IRGC targeting them, and Mahsa has even helped Roya move to England in order to keep her safe. Roya responded to her mother’s death by cutting off all her hair and posting a picture of herself at her grave without a head covering on Instagram.
Alireza Akhondi, an Iranian-born Swedish MP, is one of the campaigners pushing for the IRGC to be formally proscribed. He has worked with governments from all over the world to make this happen, and has been targeted by the regime for his efforts. He recently flew to Washington to prepare a lawsuit to put the US designation into action.
Alireza believes that policies should target the organisation’s weak spots, such as its reliance on crypto currencies, or sanctioning European banks that allow the movement of money from the IRGC. He is determined to make sure his fight for freedom is not in vain, so that when he is lying on his deathbed, he will have no regrets.
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