An Irish man who spent seven months wrongly imprisoned in Iran has condemned what he called the “terrible” brutality of the country’s rulers, as fresh protests flare against the clerical establishment amid rising prices.
Bernard Phelan, who was detained in 2022 after being accused of providing information to an enemy country, said he is encouraged to see Iranians taking to the streets but warned that fear runs deep under the current regime.
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“In one sense, I’m happy that the Iranian people are out in the street against the regime, but the brutality of the regime is terrible,” Phelan said on RTÉ’s News at One. “People are scared because people are being put in prison for any excuse, and that could mean anything. The death penalty was used so much last year, and used more this year. People are very afraid.”
Protests began late last month in response to soaring prices, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed since the Islamic Revolution. Phelan said the current unrest appears even more volatile than demonstrations he witnessed in September 2022 in the city of Tabriz, shortly before his arrest.
“I was in Iran in 2022, when I was arrested in October. But in September, I saw them and was mixed in with demonstrations in the city of Tabriz, and they were pretty violent then,” he said. “These look even worse. The public are burning cars and burning public buildings.”
Phelan, who was freed after more than 200 days in captivity, described a system in which security forces hold decisive sway and any transition would be complex. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. The Revolutionary Guard who arrested me are very, very powerful,” he said. “Whether they want to relinquish any of their power … would you put in a puppet leader? I think there will be a change if the supreme leader goes.”
He also spoke about the toll of his detention and its aftermath. “I had a stroke at the end of August last year, which the doctors have said is due to post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said. “But I’m recovering well. I was able to drive a car yesterday, first time since August. So, I’m positive about the situation.”
Despite the ordeal, Phelan said he hopes to return to Iran. “I have many friends in Iran, and it is a fantastic country, culturally, historically, and intellectually,” he said. “They have great potential, if they get rid of the regime that’s squeezing them.”
Separately, the European Union is considering sanctions on Iran over the protest crackdown.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
