Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Iran protests: Wanted leader in hiding from regime says 'people have become more daring'

Iran protests: Wanted leader in hiding from regime says 'people have become more daring'

Kawa, one of Iran's protest leaders, is wanted by the Iranian regime and is hiding out in a safe house over the border in northern Iraq.

Kawa adjusts his baseball cap and sips some hot tea.

He is a slight, softly spoken young man with few distinguishing features.

His friends roar with laughter when he asks us not to show his ears on camera. It's a moment of levity, but Kawa is deadly serious.

As one of Iran's protest leaders, he is a wanted man, and the threat of imprisonment and torture hangs over him.

"At night, I'm always ready to flee if they raid our house. I have prepared everything."

We are in a safe house over the border in northern Iraq. He's briefly left Iran but is still taking no risks - Iranian agents operate here.

"You sense the fear and terror in society," he admits, but adds "morale is very high".

"We are waiting and looking for a window to come back to the street. Anything small that happens would bring people back to the street."

More than 500 people are estimated to have been killed since nationwide protests broke out in September, over the death of a young woman in police custody who was arrested for wearing her hijab "incorrectly".

Kawa thinks Iranian society is hardening against the regime. He tells me a story about one night when the feared Basij paramilitary forces fired on a mosque as they were readying bodies for burial.


The Basij fire on a mosque in Iran

"People had gone to the hospitals so the corpses would not be taken by the regime. They [the protesters] brought a body to wash it and bury it," he says.

"At that moment the regime fired on the mosque.

"People gathered in the mosque and the regime fired from the roof and several people were wounded. They fired on people with AK47s, firing round after round.

"There were women and children with us, and I did not see anyone with us wearing military fatigues. The way they shot at us was like they were attacking an armed group, but we were civilians."

'More violence ahead'


Kawa also believes there will be more violence in the coming months as the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution approaches.

Sky News has been sent footage of protesters peppered with hundreds of pellets embedded in their skin. It is proof that the Iranian regime is using shotguns against the demonstrators.

We also have video of doctors working to save these patients in secret makeshift clinics in private apartments - if the protesters go for treatment in hospital they will immediately identify themselves to the regime.

The doctors are taking huge risks too, smuggling medicine and supplies out of hospitals to help the protesters.

Protests in Tehran in September last year


It's proof of an extensive underground network - the anti-government feeling is deeper than street level.

"The doctors' help... is of critical importance to the wounded protesters," an activist inside Iran told Sky News.

"If these secret medical teams were not available, most of the wounded would most likely die because infections would spread to their bodies from their injuries.

"Some, whose medical situations were not good, had to have their hands or arms amputated."

'People have become more daring'


Kawa will go back to Iran to continue organising the uprising. I ask him how he feels at that prospect.

"I feel it is my responsibility to go back and resume my activity until my people are free," he says.

"I see victory in the fact that people have become united, they have one objective and they are closer to each other.

"People have become more daring and towards the end of the Islamic republic.

"I want the Islamic republic to disappear and for our people to be freed."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
×