Iran arrests mother of slain protester, ahead of Woman Life Freedom uprising anniversary

Iran’s security forces on Wednesday arrested Mina Soltani, the mother of Shahryar Mohammadi, a protester killed during the 2022 protests in Bukan, West Azarbaijan province.

Soltan's arrest is part of a broader crackdown on activists and victims' families just days before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, which ignited the Women, Life, Freedom uprising.

It is not clear whether she is being held in intelligence detention at Urmia or Urmia prison according to her family, sparking further concerns for her safety.

"Yesterday, a relative received a call from an unknown number. A man was on the line, then handed the phone to my mother, Mina. My mother was only able to say one sentence that she is being held in Urmia," Soltani’s daughter Asrin Mohammadi told Iran International.

Shahryar Mohammadi was shot by Iran’s security forces in Bukan on November 18, 2022. He later died from his injuries after being transferred to a local hospital. His family including his mother, Mina Soltani, his sister Asrin Mohammadi, and brother Milad Mohammadi have since become outspoken advocates for justice and have faced continuous pressure from the Iranian authorities.

This is not the first time the Mohammadi family has been targeted by security forces. Last year, on November 15, just a few days before the anniversary of Shahryar’s death, his sister, Asrin Mohammadi, was arrested during a raid. Speaking to Iran International from an undisclosed location for her safety, Asrin described the experience as violent, stating:

"Just days before the anniversary, they [security forces] savagely stormed in. Right in front of my mother’s eyes, they beat me, they beat my mother, and then they dragged me away by force."

Asrin recalled the threats her family faced when her brother Shahryar was killed.

"On November 18, 2022, Shahryar was surrounded inside a car by military vehicles, and they opened fire on him. Milad [Asrin and Shahryar’s brother], while holding Shahryar’s lifeless body in his arms and refusing to let them take him away, had a gun pressed to his legs, and they shot him twice. Even then, Milad didn’t let go of Shahryar. This time, they injected Milad with four sedatives. They then threatened my mother, saying, 'If you don’t cooperate and let us bury him now, we will take Milad, kill him, and bury Shahryar in a place where you’ll never know.' They forced the mother to go with them. Milad, after months of living in parks and streets with infected and injured legs, was eventually forced to flee Iran. Now, this year, they have arrested my mother - a woman whose one child was killed, one injured and displaced, and another arrested,” Asrin Mohammadi said.

Soltani’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown by the Iranian authorities on victims’ families as the country approaches the second anniversary of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, security forces attempt to stifle any potential unrest.

Last week, Iran's security forces arrested 16-year-old Ramyar Abubakri, brother of 21-year-old Zanyar Abubakri, who was fatally shot by state security forces on October 27, 2022, in Mahabad, Kurdistan. At the same time, security forces also raided the home of Siavash Soltani, son of 52-year-old Kobra Sheikhe-Saqqa, another victim killed by state forces on the same day in Mahabad.

UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI) on Friday reported that between July and September 20224, “arrests and detention of family members of protesters killed in the context of the movement also intensified.”

“These arrests appear to be part of a broader State effort to stifle any potential form of dissent and to harass, intimidate and prevent victims, families and others expressing solidarity, from marking the second anniversary of the protests and the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement,” the FFMI said.

The Islamic Republic has faced international condemnation for its handling of the protests and its treatment of detainees, with human rights groups expressing concern over the safety of slain protestors' families. The situation remains tense as the uprising anniversary draws near, with the possibility of further unrest and government crackdowns.