The Iranian government’s fear of its own people is obvious from its continuing repression of Iranian journalists, human rights defenders, labor leaders, and women’s rights activists. The sight in May of prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, brought in handcuffs to a court room in Tehran from Evin prison, powerfully reflects that fear.
Recent events have also shown that the regime fears the dead as well as the living. That was evident when it sent security forces to the funeral of former parliamentarian Ezatollah Sahabi. When security forces reportedly tried to interfere with the funeral procession, Mr. Sahabi’s daughter, Haleh, herself a human rights defender, Islamic scholar, and recently a political prisoner, tried to prevent them.
She was reportedly attacked, beaten, and fell to the ground. She died minutes later. The precise cause of death — whether from cardiac arrest or injuries suffered during the beating – is not known.
