元宝

Speaking an Iranian still inside Iran, writing this through Starlink while my hands are literally shaking with rage and grief. Sometimes, I can’t hold back the tears anymore. Look at this poster they’ve plastered on every street corner [first image]. The Islamic Republic’s latest public death threat: Starlink, satellite dishes, VPNs — all illegal. Use them and you will be punished to the maximum. Phones crossed out. Dishes crossed out. Even the word “Starlink” in blood-red letters. They are openly hunting us for daring to seek truth. And they just proved they mean it. This innocent Iranian father [second image] was using Starlink — just like me — to get real news for his family in the middle of the blackout and get the censored information out to the world. They arrested him. They tortured him. They beat him to death. A father. A husband. A man who only wanted to protect his children from the regime’s lies. I am using Starlink right now to write these words to you. Every single day the regime’s agents threaten me. Every single day I know I could be next. My heart is shattered. My soul is on fire. The fear is real and it never leaves. But I will not stop. My country is on the line. My people are on the line. 90 million Iranians are suffocating in this 47-year nightmare. We are living in hell — neither war nor peace, economic pressure crushing every family, their new Chinese-style tiered internet and “White Simcard” loyalty system deciding who is even allowed to see the outside world. And now they are literally killing people for trying to connect. We have endured massacres, rapes, executions, and grief for 47 years. We have buried our sons and daughters in the streets. We danced and cried with pure joy when you removed Khamenei because we finally saw hope. This father’s blood will not be in vain. We are willing to endure everything — the blackouts, the arrests, the torture, the economic pressure— if it means the Islamic Republic finally falls. Anything to be free. Anything to end this evil. President Trump, the free world — see what they are doing to us? Keep the pressure. Do not look away. The Iranian people are watching, bleeding, and still standing. The Lion and Sun will rise again. For this father. For every father. For every son and daughter who still dreams of freedom. We will never forget. And we will never forgive those who helped the butchers. #IranMassacre‌ #IranWar #KingRezaPahlavi‌ForIran

Mana Neyestani: “I drew this cartoon 4 years ago to criticise the hypocrisy of Western governments. Today, you can see how much stronger it has become, especially in the behavior of European statesmen... Shame on you!”