In Iran, opponents of the regime counted on Sunday December 11 more than 485 victims of the regime since the death of Mahsa Amini, almost three months ago, and more than 18,000 demonstrators arrested. Half of them would be Kurds. They sometimes choose exile, especially in Iraq, where the border is open to escape this repression. Meeting with two Iranian refugees in the town of Souleymane, 40 kilometers from the Iranian border.
With our special correspondent to Souleymane, Theo Renaudon
In a garage on the outskirts of town, Salham is doing his job: he is a mechanic. However, a few days ago, he demonstrated for the first time on the other side of the border in Iran.
” I was in a demonstration ten days ago. The following night, the government forces came to pick me up at my house at two o’clock in the morning. Then they put me in jail. The guards hit me. I still have a huge bruise today on my right shoulder. They asked me why I was in the demonstrations. I told them that I hadn’t done anything illegal! That they only had to look at the CCTV images: I was simply present “, he explains.
After eight days, his family pays a deposit with the title deed of his house. He is free, but with this warning: no more demonstrations, otherwise, it is the death penalty.
” Once out of the prison, I was scared. I could no longer stay in this country. I went to a town, close to the border. When I got there, I realized that I had been followed by the secret services. I spent a night there before heading to Iraq. Arrived at Souleymane, I took a room in a motel and I started to look for work to be able to survive. This garage was looking for a mechanic, I gave it a try and they kept me “, he continues.
” In Iran, I saw many dead »
Salham will have to return to Iran in 30 days to renew his Iraqi visa. For his part, Erdelan, another refugee, promises that he will not return to Iran before the fall of the regime, and he says he is convinced that it is only a matter of time.
Videos of the Iranian protests scroll through his phone. ” In Iran, I saw many deaths. The image that sticks in my head is this taxi driver who got shot by the police as he got into his car. All because he had demonstrated and seeing the police, he decided to flee “, he testifies.
This 41-year-old Iranian took part in the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini before fleeing his country:
Right now in Iran, you have three options: either you protest and risk your life, or you work for the government, or you leave the country. Personally, it is this last choice that I made. I lived with my parents and my sisters. From the start of the protests, the situation was very tense. When my cousin was arrested, it was the trigger. We decided to leave for Iraq. I came with my parents and one of my sisters. But my other sister decided to stay with her children. When I’m on the phone with her, I choose my words well, I can’t speak freely. I know the regime has ears everywhere. Impossible to know who is really listening to us
An Iranian truck driver who took refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan testifies
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