Sulaymaniyah, Iraq — Airstrikes on the third day of the battle obliterated a detention heart in western Iran the place Wyra Hassan endured torture for 102 days. Brokers of Iran’s state safety held the Kurdish journalist captive in Sanandaj for voicing his opinions. Information of the ability’s destruction introduced him reduction, and he now anticipates the autumn of the Islamic regime that persecuted him.
The battle, initiated by the U.S. and Israel, enters its third week. The Trump administration introduced on Sunday that operations will conclude inside weeks. Iran’s army faces heavy losses since strikes started on February 28, but hardline clerics and politicians retain management.
Wyra Hassan’s Ordeal and Hopes
Hassan compares a regime survival to changing a automobile’s tire as an alternative of its engine. “If the battle ends with out eradicating the regime, it is going to be a catastrophe for the Iranian folks,” he acknowledged throughout an interview at his Sulaymaniyah bookshop.
Born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution established theocracy, Hassan confronted state brutality as a member of Iran’s persecuted Kurdish minority. Arrested in 2006 for organizing an Worldwide Ladies’s Day occasion, police tortured him earlier than demanding he abandon Sanandaj and stop writing. He fled 100 kilometers throughout the border to Sulaymaniyah, now directing the Jamal Erfan Cultural Basis—constructed on a former Saddam Hussein torture website turned haven for concepts.
The middle shares Kurdish-language books, suppressed in Iran to erase minority id. Hassan views Iran’s crackdown on January protests—the place pro-regime forces killed hundreds of demonstrators—and the following battle as exposing the regime’s nature.
Activists face harsher repression if the regime rebuilds, he warns. “We all know if the regime regains energy, they may crack down worse than ever.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues launching missiles and drones at neighbors, threatening the area until toppled. Hassan desires of returning to Sanandaj to determine a library on his former jail website. “I wish to return and construct the identical library the place I used to be tortured,” he mentioned.
Ali Rezaei Majd’s Viral Attraction
In Erbil, three hours away, Ali Rezaei Majd streams the Instagram video that compelled his exile. Posted January 6 amid protests, it launched him as a youth underneath every day concern and oppression, urging the U.S. to help Iranians for a brighter future. The clip went viral, prompting safety brokers to hunt him down. He fled to Iraq with a single bag.
Majd joined the opposition after clashes over his Christian religion and gymnasium enterprise in Dorud. U.S. President Donald Trump’s January 2 social media submit—threatening intervention if protesters died—impressed two movies recorded on Dorud’s railroad tracks, one in Persian and one in English. Geolocated close to the prepare station, they amassed over 800,000 likes.
“Right this moment I develop up in darkness. Our voices are silenced, our desires destroyed,” he pleaded. “Iran isn’t America’s enemy. Assist us regain freedom, and we are going to repay the debt eternally. Please stand with the folks of Iran.” Mates warned of approaching brokers; he hid, witnessed January 8-9 crackdowns, and smuggled throughout to Sulaymaniyah, now in Erbil.
Majd tracks the battle, questioning if Iranians can oust the regime regardless of U.S. targets shifting from regime change to neutralizing nuclear, army, and missile threats. “Even weakened, they may struggle to the loss of life. We should put together,” he cautioned.
