Iran’s Foreign Ministry again hinted on Monday at the thesis of a foreign conspiracy behind the demonstrations that have lasted for more than three months in Iran, after the Revolutionary Guards on Sunday arrested seven people, according to a statement published by the official propaganda media. Among them are an unknown number of citizens with dual Iranian and British nationality. Asked by a journalist about the arrests, ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said London was playing a “destructive role” in the current wave of popular discontent, the culprit of which was the death in police custody on September 16. , of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for revealing part of her hair under her veil.

“Some countries, especially the one you mentioned [Reino Unido], have played an unconstructive role in recent events in Iran. Their role was totally destructive and incited riots,” Kanaani criticized. This spokesman then limited himself to announcing that Tehran had notified their situation and “communicated their crimes” to the respective governments of the detainees – he did not specify whether there were people of other nationalities in the group of seven.

In Sunday’s statement by the Revolutionary Guards – the paramilitary organization whose aim is to protect the Iranian regime – they presented these seven people as “the main leaders of the recent protests”, claimed that some of them had dual citizenship and claimed they had been arrested by the paramilitary force’s intelligence services as they tried to leave the country. No further information has been released on the identities of these seven UK-linked Iranians. The UK Foreign Office said it was trying to find more information about them.

Iran remains imprisoned dozens of citizens of the European Union and other Western countriesamong them, two Spaniards, Santiago Sánchez, 41, from Madrid, arrested on October 2, and Galician Ana Baneira, 24, whose arrest was made public on November 10.

Last October, New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) estimates at least 20 Westerners imprisoned in the country, 14 of whom have dual nationality, which is why Tehran does not recognize their status as foreigners and does not allow consular assistance to be provided to them. the September 30, the Ministry of Intelligence and Iranian National Security reported the arrest of nine other Europeans. The CHRI list also does not include the 40 foreigners whose arrest was revealed on November 22 by the Tehran justice spokesman, without specifying their nationalities. Known cases of EU citizens concern France (7), Sweden (5), Germany (4), Austria (2), Spain (2), Belgium (1), Netherlands (1) and Poland (1). In addition, there are Americans, Canadians and Swiss. Also British, to which are added the detainees with dual nationality this Sunday.

European diplomatic sources do not doubt that the accusations made against the detained Europeans are almost always false and that they are “hostages on whom Tehran urges to stop the imposition of sanctions”; for human rights abuses or for Iran supplying the drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the protests that analysts consider one of the greatest challenges, if not the greatest, in the history of the Islamic Republic established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, Tehran has detained more Westerners and, above all , repressed with enormous harshness on its own population, while blaming the West, the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia for orchestrating demonstrations in which women and young people play a role of foreground. According to the Iranian human rights organization in exile, HRANA, as of Sunday, 507 demonstrators, including 69 minors, had been killed during the demonstrations. This organization estimates that more than 18,500 protesters have been arrested.

At the gallows with 22 years

Following the executions in early December of Mohsen Shekari and Majid Reza Rahnavard, both 23, it was confirmed over the weekend that another protester, Mohammad Qabadlo, 22, will be executed by hanging, convicted of serious crimes to which he pleads not guilty. Last week, Iranian state media reported that the country’s Supreme Court had accepted the appeal of this young man and Kurdish-born rapper Saman Seydi Yasin, known for alluding to inequality, oppression and unemployed in his lyrics. In a later statement, Iran’s justice propaganda news agency, Mizan News, clarified that only Yasin’s appeal had been accepted, whose trial will have to be repeated.

Mohammad Qabadloo has been accused of killing a policeman and injuring five others during the protests, which he denies. His lawyer denounced that he could not even enter the room where his client’s trial hearings were being held. According to the Iranian NGO Iran Human Rights, this young man was tried at first instance by a revolutionary court presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, whom Iranian human rights organizations call “the hanging judge” for the number of death sentences they have handed down. .of his writing. Salavati even sentenced a 37-year-old man to death for heresy in September 2014 for defining the myth of Jonah and the whale, which is also found in the Koran, as “an allegory”.

Amnesty International has warned that Iranian authorities have already called for the death penalty for at least 26 other people in what the organization describes as “sham trials intended to intimidate those taking part in the popular uprising”. According to Amnesty, all those sentenced to death were denied the right to an adequate defense and access to a lawyer of their choice. Human rights groups say that instead, defendants must resort to public defenders who support even the case of the prosecution.

Follow all the international news on Facebook Yes Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.