Iranian Political Prisoner Accused Of Supporting Israel

Fatemeh Sepehri, an Iranian political prisoner, has been accused of supporting Israel due to condemning Iran-backed Hamas's atrocities of October 7 which since sparked a regional proxy war.

Her brother, Asghar Sepehri, announced on X that Fatemeh participated in a virtual court session from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on Saturday, during which the judge accused her of supporting Israel following her condemnation of the attacks which killed at least 1,200 mostly civilians, led to the mass rape and torture of civilians, and saw the kidnap of over 250 hostages to Gaza, dozens of whom have since been killed in captivity. 

Imprisoned since September 21, 2022 amid the Women, Life, Freedom protests, her family already fears for her health as she deteriorates in dire prison conditions amid heart disease. 

Sepehri faces severe charges, including "collaboration with hostile countries" resulting in a 10-year sentence, "conspiracy and collusion" leading to five years of imprisonment, "insulting the leadership" resulting in two years of imprisonment, and "propaganda against the system" leading to one year of imprisonment.

The Hamas invasion of Israel has since led to military attacks from Iran's proxies regionally. Over 3,100 projectiles have been fired to Israel from Hezbollah in Lebanon, over 35 from Syria, and on Israel's south coast, Yemen's Houthis have waged a maritime blockade, with missiles being fired not only into southern Israel but targeting global shipping, sparking a global crisis.

Iran's proxies in the Middle East have waged over 200 attacks on US infrastructure as punishment for supporting Israel's right to defend itself and a 20+ nation coalition led by the US has been formed to counter the Red Sea blockade.

The Gaza war has seen a significant shift in sentiment among Iranians regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Expressions of neutrality towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and even "Israelophilia" have been observed across Iranian society. The traditional government narrative supporting Hamas and opposing Israel has faced growing dissent, with slogans like "Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will sacrifice my life for Iran" becoming popular among protesters, referring to the Iran-backed proxies currently waging war on the Jewish state.

At a cost of billions of dollars, Iran has long funded its proxies around the region with the goal of eliminating Israel, at the expense of the Iranian population who are witnessing the worst economic and social conditions since the founding of the Islamic Republic.

The regime's attempts to organize large-scale demonstrations in support of Hamas have largely failed, with only small gatherings occurring, primarily among attendees of Friday prayers in major cities, and incentivized by the likes of free food and drinks, easily luring a population in the midst of an economic disaster.