Grieving Iranian Mother Faces 100 Lashes For Protesting The Death Of Her Son

A devastated mother is facing 100 lashes for protesting about the death of her son, who was killed by Iran's security forces.

Pejman Gholipour took to the streets during a demonstration about fuel prices in 2019, and was shot in the heart.

According to Amnesty International, the 18-year-old was one of more than 300 people who were killed in the week-long protests.

Since her son's death, Mahboubeh Ramezani has been demanding justice for him and all those who lost their lives.

As a result, she has received numerous threats of imprisonment for her actions. But she has remained defiant throughout.

Writing in April this year about her campaign, she said: "The chests of all the families (of the victims of the November 2019 uprising) are ready for your bullets.

"Your threats, imprisonment, and torture are no longer effective. We will make you remorse. We will make you regret every single life you took over all these years."

A few months ago, however, she was convicted for protesting and sentenced to 100 lashes in absentia.

And on 11 July, Ramezani was arrested and taken to Evin prison in Tehran. She will now face the sentence following her recent arrest.

Her surviving son Peyman wrote an impassioned plea on Instagram, where he defended his mother's actions.

He wrote: "My mother was under pressure for a long time. They constantly intimidated her, and she had been summoned several times.

"They condemned her to 100 lashes a few months ago, but that did not scare my mother. 

"What do we have to lose after Pejman? What is left after November 2019? They were looking for an excuse to silence my mother."

He went on: "My mother's only crime is that she seeks justice. This is the most important reason they fear her. They fear her because she has not even put down Pejman's picture for a moment."

This isn't the first time the Ramezani has been arrested as back in November last year, she was detained after attending a commemoration event in the village of Malat, where her son is buried.

The Iranian regime has been heavily criticised by human rights groups after branding the protesters as foreign-backed 'rioters' or 'insurgents'.

Tata Sepehri Far, Iran Researcher at Human Rights Watch said in 2020: "Iranian authorities have avoided any measure of accountability and continue to harass the families of those killed during the protest.

"Families of hundreds of victims, most of them from the more vulnerable segments of Iranian society, deserve to see those responsible for the serious rights violations held accountable."

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