The mullahs suppress every critical voice in Iran, many opponents of the regime are in prison, many are leaving the country and many more have been killed. The blogger and activist Hossein Ronaghi (36) is one of the few Iranian activists who still live in Iran and report critically. He was imprisoned for six years because of it.
“I was tortured in Evin prison and lost a kidney, I’m still suffering from the effects of the torture, but the good thing is that I’m still alive and can continue,” says Ronaghi in BILD. “In the last year alone, dozens of political prisoners have been murdered in custody. The youngest political prisoner to be killed in prison was poet, author and filmmaker Baktash Abtin.”
The well-known writer Abtin (47) died on January 8 in Evin prison in Tehran as a result of a corona infection. After his death, the mullahs’ regime transferred three imprisoned journalists, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Narges Mohammadi and Kayvan Samimi Behbahani, to other, worse prisons far from their families. At 73, Behbahani is one of the oldest imprisoned journalists in the world!
Foto: @RSF_inter/Twitter
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“They are doing this with the aim of letting the imprisoned journalists die. The regime is currently using the corona virus for this,” says Ronaghi in BILD.
Ronaghi accuses the western media of not reporting enough about the truth in Iran. In the past four years, there have been five nationwide uprisings against the regime in Iran.
The propaganda of the lobbyists and the Islamic Republic has a massive influence on Western politicians and the media. Therefore, Iran’s re-entry into the nuclear deal (JCPOA) and nuclear energy was viewed positively. Ronaghi complains that they don’t see what has happened in the country and how the regime has created a country of oppression, censorship and violence.
He is active on social media and is currently working against a dangerous internet censorship law in Iran. He also tries to draw general attention to the internal situation.
“The regime divides the population into insiders and outsiders. If you are an insider, ie belong to or are pro-government, you have enhanced rights and freedoms, but if you are an outsider, you are treated with extreme forms of oppression, discrimination and humiliation,” the blogger tells BILD.
Ronaghi is one of the so-called outsiders. He grew up in a religious family with three siblings. He later found his way on the Internet and worked for an anti-censorship group. Ronaghi was first imprisoned in December 2009 and sentenced to 15 years in prison! On the basis of a vaguely worded indictment, he was accused of endangering national security. In all, he spent six years in prison.
“It was a cruel time, I was sick and didn’t get any medical attention. My brother was also arrested and brutally tortured in front of me. I am currently living with one kidney. I’ve lost a lot, but not my courage,” says Ronaghi in BILD combatively.
Despite the danger, he wants to stay in Iran and continue fighting for freedom, although he can be arrested again at any time! Because of the interview with BILD, he even contacted his lawyer in advance and asked for advice.
“Iran is my home country, I never want to leave my country. I’m scared every day, but the suppressed truth must be heard worldwide, the Western media don’t see what’s really happening here,” said the young blogger in BILD. “It is a war-torn country, in the shadow of totalitarianism, facing many terrible crises.”