Iran Bans Commemoration Ceremony Of Slain Protester

The father of one of the victims of the 2022 protests in Iran has disclosed that security forces summoned him and prohibited the commemoration event for his daughter.

Mehrdad Aghafazli, Yalda Aghafazli's father, shared on his Instagram post on Saturday night that after visiting the authorities, security forces explicitly stated, "You have no right to hold any ceremony." When he responded, expressing his intention to organize a private event, they reportedly asserted, "Even that is not your right."

Yalda Aghafazli, a 19-year-old protester, was detained during the October 26 demonstrations in Tehran. She went on a hunger strike to protest the prison conditions and was released without accepting any of her charges. However, a few days later, she died under suspicious circumstances, and her body was buried under strict security measures.

Aghafazli mentioned that security forces, implicitly threatening him, said, "We are watching you." In response, he told them, "I am glad you have been after me for a year. I am no longer afraid. My fear was for my daughter's life and future, which she lost. Now, my only fear is that you come and harm the people attending my daughter's ceremony. I apologize to their mothers and fathers."

The incident is the latest in a string of ceremonies banned by security forces over the years, and harassment and imprisonment of the families of activists dating back to the 1980s. It worsened after the death of Mahsa Amini last year. Additionally, families of slain protesters continue to be harrassed.

On the anniversary of the death of Javad Heydari, who was shot by security forces in the first wave of protests in September last year, agents arrested his brother and several other family members. His sister, Fatemeh, reported that security forces fired tear gas into their house as well as deploying troops to the village to quash any gatherings.