by Alex Winston
If the people cannot be persuaded to fear, then they will be forced to, is the mentality behind the ayatollahs’ rule. The result is intimidation, but there is backlash amongst ordinary Iranians.
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The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its heightened crackdown on dissidents over the past few days, with more arrests over the hijab law, rumours of those who have disappeared into the regime’s security apparatus, and the alleged killing of a human rights lawyer.
Khosro Alikordi, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and dissident, was found dead in his office in Mashhad on Saturday morning by a staff member, with all the signs pointing to murder.
Blood was flowing from Alikordi’s mouth and nose, and there were signs of severe head trauma, including a fractured skull.
When two unidentified plainclothesmen reportedly arrived at the lawyer’s office late last week, friends said, he mentioned having “guests” during a phone call that evening. By morning, the 46-year-old attorney was dead.
Local media in Iran have attempted to portray his death as a cardiac arrest, but those who saw his body state otherwise. Agents from the regime’s Intelligence Ministry swiftly confiscated Alikordi’s office’s CCTV system before the family could access the scene.
His death now joins a growing list of suspicious fatalities involving those who have dared to challenge Iran’s security apparatus.
The judiciary has offered no meaningful explanation, and an official forensic report has yet to be released.
Videos circulating during Alikordi's funeral on Sunday show attendees chanting against the regime, with cries "Long live Iran!" and "Long live the Shah!”
«پاینده ایران، جاوید شاه»
— اتاق خبر منوتو (@ManotoNews) December 7, 2025
مراسم خاکسپاری پیکر خسرو علیکردی، وکیل دادگستری و فعال حقوقی، روز یکشنبه شانزدهم آذر در خانه او برگزار شد.
پیکر جاویدنام خسرو علیکردی امروز با همراهی دوستدارانش به سمت روستای عبدلآباد سبزوار تشییع شد. pic.twitter.com/F37LzH8FL5
Bita Shafiei and her mother vanish into the regime’s prisons
Another case has also galvanized ordinary Iranians – that of the disappearance of 19-year-old monarchist activist Bita Shafiei and her mother, Maryam Abbasi-Nikoo.Nearly a month after being abducted by regime forces, both remain in custody, and very little has been heard of them. Reports emerged over the weekend that the regime was pressuring the two to sign forced confessions of their guilt, a hallmark of the Islamic Republic’s repression since 1979.
Reports from Manoto News and multiple NGOs say the two women are being held in Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, where interrogators from the intelligence services have subjected them to torture and solitary confinement.
After being arrested in Shahinshahr, they were transferred to security detention centers and forced into rehearsed “confession scenarios.”
Bita’s abduction on November 13 came just three days after her mother was seized.
The arrests have sparked open defiance in Iran, with locals taking to the streets to demand their release. Protests have also been held throughout Europe, highlighting the cases of Bita and her mother, demanding their immediate return home.
Shafiei rose to national attention after condemning chemical attacks on Iranian schoolgirls, as well as for the crime of being a pro-monarchist when she publicly voiced support for Iran’s Crown Prime Reza Shah Pahlavi. She was arrested during protests in 2023 and later revealed that interrogators had fractured her fingers during her ordeal
Nevertheless, young Iranians are growing ever more confident in voicing their opposition to the regime and support for the Crown Prince, and the regime is cracking down hard as protests grow over financial strains on the economy and environmental mismanagement by the authorities, which have left Iran severely depleted of water and with a massive pollution problem.
Run for freedom
In Iran, even running a race can become a battleground of the regime’s ideology. On Friday, over 5,200 runners took part in the Kish Island marathon, held in separate men’s and women’s heats.Kish, a free-trade zone long known for its relatively relaxed social atmosphere, saw hundreds of women running without hijab.
The race, coming just days after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent out a number of social media posts on the role of women in the Islamic Republic, in connection with renewed vigor on cracking down on the hijab laws, the reaction from the mullahs and regime hardliners was swift.
Within hours, officials announced the arrest of two race organizers and the opening of a criminal case for failing to enforce compulsory hijab rules. The prosecutor said that the event constituted an “insult” to Islamic values.
For many Iranians, the arrests yet again illustrate the regime’s priorities. Even as the country reels from economic collapse and intensifying protests, resources continue to flow toward policing the clothing of women rather than solving the nation’s real problems.
Khosro Alikordi, Bita Shafiei and her mother, and the Khish Island marathon organizers have all offended the regime with their refusal to accept oppressive laws, and in response, the Islamic Republic is deepening its campaign of repression.
If the people cannot be persuaded to fear, then they will be forced to do so, is the mentality behind the ayatollahs’ rule. The result is a climate of intimidation, but the backlash among ordinary Iranians seems to be growing, and they no longer seem to be paralyzed by fear.
Alex Winston
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-879465
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