Iranian Professor Arrested For Mocking IRGC Commander's Death

An Iranian doctor and university professor from the city of Bojnurd in the northeast was detained after posting a picture of "cutlet" on the night of the death of IRGC commander Razi Mousavi.

The action was part of a broader trend where Iranian regime opponents observed the anniversary of former IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani's killing as "Cutlet Day" on various social media platforms, referring to his mutilation in a US drone strike in 2020.

Iranian regime opponents and activists took to social media this month sending "Cutlet Day" viral, drawing a parallel to a popular Iranian dish consisting of ground beef and potatoes. 

The prosecutor of Bojnourd confirmed the arrest, stating that "insulting the martyrs is considered an insult to sanctities," the two top military men deified by the regime since their deaths. Like Soleimani, Mousavi, reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria, played a pivotal role in fortifying Iran's proxy forces in the region.

The arrest aligns with a pattern of Iranian authorities cracking down on dissent. Earlier in January, a prominent chef and Instagram influencer, Navab Ebrahimi, faced detention for sharing a Persian cutlet recipe on the anniversary of Soleimani's death. Ebrahimi was released on bail after a few days, though the specific charges against him remained unclear.

The Iranian government's intensified response to dissent is evident, particularly in the aftermath of the September 2022 death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a headscarf, fueling nationwide anger and prompting increased measures to suppress signs of dissent across the country amid mass protests.