NCRI-US: The Stabbing to Death of Famed Film Director Evokes 1990s Chain Murders in Iran

Nothing can save a theocracy that is distant from its people by an ocean of blood.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Alireza Jafarzadeh, the deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), explains how the stabbing to death of a renowned Iranian film director and his wife has revived the 1990s regime-sanctioned chain murders in Iran:

On Saturday, October 14th, Dariush Mehrjui, a renowned Iranian film director, and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, tragically met their demise in their home in the city of Karaj, located west of Tehran, under suspicious circumstances.

Iranian state media attributed this heinous crime to unidentified criminals, yet Iran's society, which still vividly remembers the chain murders of the 1990s, knows precisely where to assign blame.

The term "chain murders" in Iran refers to a series of politically motivated killings in the late 1990s. During this period, numerous dissidents, intellectuals, and writers critical of the Iranian regime were brutally slain.

Often, the victims were discovered with stab wounds or strangled, and these murders followed a distinct pattern, hence the term "chain murders."

The revelation that these killings were orchestrated from within the regime, specifically by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, played a pivotal role in sparking the 1999 uprising.

The persecution, apprehension, torture, and execution of dissidents have persisted, especially since the nationwide uprising in September 2022, during which many dissident artists joined the protesters.

A year and a half ago, Dariush Mehrjui released a video in which he emphatically expressed his willingness to take necessary steps to secure his rights, undeterred by the potential consequences. The stabbing incident suggests that the regime may have responded in a manner reminiscent of the killings from the 1990s.

But nothing can save a theocracy that is distant from its people by an ocean of blood.

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BACKGROUND
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) is a democratic coalition of Iranian opposition organizations and personalities and was founded in Tehran, Iran, in July 1981, as the alternative to the clerical regime, a month after the onset of the nationwide resistance to overthrow the ruling dictatorship.

The NCRI is committed to the affirmation of the people’s sovereignty in a republic founded on universal suffrage and pluralism; gender equality; separation of religion and state and freedom of religions and faiths; freedom of thought, press, and association; support for peace in the Middle East; plan for the autonomy of Iranian nationalities and ethnicities; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as embodied in Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-Point Plan for Future Iran.

The NCRI would serve as a provisional government led by its President-elect Mrs. Rajavi, and its primary responsibility will be to hold free and fair elections for a national and constituent assembly within six months to ensure the peaceful transition of power to the elected representatives of the Iranian people.

Iran’s largest, most organized opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also referred to as the MEK, is the principal member of the NCRI.

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These materials are being distributed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran-U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US). Additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

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