World

Iran threatens crackdown on anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death – but some refuse to be silenced

Published

2 years ago

September 15, 2023

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“They killed my brother, and now they’re coming for us too.”

These are words from inside Iran that its rulers do not want the world to hear.

Warning: This article contains a graphic image of injury

“They’re taking us hostage,” Reza said. Sky News is not using Reza’s real name to protect his safety.

Reza’s brother was brutally killed during the protests last year. Armed police forced the grieving family to bury his body the same night he died – in an effort to cover up their crimes, he said.

Reza, who is in his late 20s, and his family have been the target of a campaign of harassment and threats by the authorities ever since.

He risks imprisonment, torture and death to speak to Sky News. But despite the government’s efforts, Reza is adamant he won’t be silenced.

And he’s not alone.

Reza is speaking from a small room in Turkey where exiled Iranian activist Shilan Mirzai works in hiding.

She supports victims of the country’s brutal crackdown on protests, which looks set to intensify as the anniversary of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini‘s death in police custody approaches.

“The harder they’re pushing, the harder people fight back,” said Ms Mirzai.

Ms Amini’s death last September in the custody of Iran‘s notorious morality police sparked an unprecedented uprising against the regime, which threatened the very existence of the Islamic Republic.

The response of the cleric-led government was brutal and bloody with more than 500 people killed, including 70 children.

Almost a year later, the protests appear to have subsided but the government crackdown continues.

In the past month, Ms Mirzai has seen a sharp rise in the number of the families of those who were imprisoned or killed during the protests reporting threats, harassment and arrests.

Ahead of Saturday’s anniversary, human rights campaigners, activists and academics have reportedly been arrested – including Ms Amini’s uncle and lawyer, and the young journalist who broke the story of her death.

“Iran’s government is clearly anxious,” Ms Mirzai said. “They know that people are preparing to reignite the protests.”

But the widespread crackdown on protesters by authorities isn’t just limited to Iran.

Activist Shilan Mirrzaee, who lives in Turkey, is regularly threatened and harassed.

“They’re trying to silence me,” she said. She rarely leaves her house and even stopped her son going to school for three months out of fear something might happen to him.

Her family in Iran aren’t safe either. Shilan said they’re being taken “hostage”.

In the past year, her father has been arrested six times for her activism. Her brother and sister have also been arrested. Her sister was threatened with rape.

But her family has encouraged her not to stop being an activist.

“We can’t speak out ourselves,” her father said, “but you can be our voice”.

“I’m not scared of the Islamic Republic government. Even if they kill my father, I will keep on fighting,” she said.

“We don’t want the Islamic Republic. Dictatorship must end.”

While many protesters prepare to take to the streets once again, others are left grappling with life-changing injuries from last year. Others look on from afar after escaping Iran in search of safety and medical treatment.

Behzad Hamrahi, 44, and his family were forced to seek asylum in Turkey several months ago.

“The guards held my arms behind me,” the father-of-two said. “Another stood less than a metre away, pointing a gun directly at my face. Then everything went black.”

Mr Hamrahi thought he had died. A guard had shot him in his left eye with a paintball gun that contained a dense ball of pressurised plastic.

He lost his eye – one of 600 people to be injured in this way according to doctors in just two provinces. The actual numbers across Iran are likely to be much higher.

Mr Hamrahi was beaten by the guards but before they could take him away, several other protesters carried him to a nearby apartment block and helped him hide.

One of the protesters, a nurse, helped clean the wound. But Mr Hamrahi desperately needed urgent medical care.

“I knew [getting medical treatment] would lead to my arrest,” he said. But he decided to go to a hospital the next day “regardless of the consequences”.

Most clinics and hospitals refused him as it was clear he sustained his injury in the protests.

Mr Hamrahi ended up having his left eye removed in a hospital that he had reasons to believe collaborate with authorities.

Shortly after he was discharged, he was held in prison for a week where he was tortured.

“That’s when I decided that I must leave the country immediately,” he said.

He arrived in Turkey a few days later with his wife and young children.

Mr Hamrahi, now living in a modest apartment in the country, said he doesn’t regret his involvement in the protests “because I fought for a free and prosperous Iran”.

But not everyone feels the same. Reza tells me that the stress and suffering his family has been through since his brother was killed is unbearable.

“The harassment towards our family has been non-stop from day one and it’s only getting worse,” he said.

He promised his family he would not take part in any future protests. “They can’t bear to lose another son,” he said.

World

FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

Published

23 mins ago

December 3, 2025

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FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

FIFA has backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets amid concerns about the cost of attending the tournament in North America.

The organisers insisted they always planned to ring-fence tickets at set prices to follow your own team.

But the announcement comes just days ahead of Friday’s tournament draw in Washington DC, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

Fans will have to wait until Saturday to know exactly where and when their teams will be playing in next summer’s tournament.

Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – has never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

England and Scotland fans have been sharing images in recent days of ticket website images highlighting cost worries.

But world football’s governing body said in a statement to Sky News: “FIFA can confirm ringfenced allocations are being set aside for specific fan categories, as has been the case at previous FIFA World Cups. These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.

“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the Participating Member Associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8% of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”

FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).

There will also be a sales window after the draw from 11 December to 13 January when ticket applications will be based on a fixed price for those buying in the random selection draw.

It is the biggest World Cup with 104 matches after the event was expanded from 32 to 48 teams. There are also three host nations for the first time – with Canada and Mexico the junior partners.

FIFA defended using fluctuating pricing.

“The pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” FIFA’s statement continued.

“This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans.”

The statement addressed the concerns being raised about fans being priced out of attending.

FIFA said: “Stadium category maps do not reflect the number of tickets available in a given category but rather present default seating locations.

“FIFA resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales could also still qualify.

World

Why Putin won’t agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

Published

23 mins ago

December 3, 2025

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Why Putin won't agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

The Americans were given the full VIP treatment on their visit to Moscow.

There was a motorcade from the airport, lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and even a stroll around Red Square.

It felt like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on more of a tourist trail than the path to peace.

They finally got down to business in the Kremlin more than six hours after arriving in Russia. And by that point, it was already clear that the one thing they had come to Moscow for wasn’t on offer: Russia’s agreement to their latest peace plan.

According to Vladimir Putin, it’s all Europe’s fault. While his guests were having lunch, he was busy accusing Ukraine’s allies of blocking the peace process by imposing demands that are unacceptable to Russia.

The Europeans, of course, would say it’s the other way round.

But where there was hostility to Europe, only hospitality to the Americans – part of Russia’s strategy to distance the US from its NATO allies, and bring them back to Moscow’s side.

Putin thinks he’s winning…

Russia wants to return to the 28-point plan that caved in to its demands. And it believes it has the right to because of what’s happening on the battlefield.

It’s no coincidence that on the eve of the US delegation’s visit to Moscow, Russia announced the apparent capture of Pokrovsk, a key strategic target in the Donetsk region.

It was a message designed to assert Russian dominance, and by extension, reinforce its demands rather than dilute them.

…and believes US-Russian interests are aligned

The other reason I think Vladimir Putin doesn’t feel the need to compromise is because he believes Moscow and Washington want the same thing: closer US-Russia relations, which can only come after the war is over.

It’s easy to see why. Time and again in this process, the US has defaulted to a position that favours Moscow. The way these negotiations are being conducted is merely the latest example.

With Kyiv, the Americans force the Ukrainians to come to them – first in Geneva, then Florida.

As for Moscow, it’s the other way around. Witkoff is happy to make the long overnight journey, and then endure the long wait ahead of any audience with Putin.

It all gives the impression that when it comes to Russia, the US prefers to placate rather than pressure.

According to the Kremlin, both Russia and the US have agreed not to disclose the details of yesterday’s talks in Moscow.

I doubt Volodymyr Zelenskyy is filled with hope.

World

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan healthy but isolated in jail, his sister says

Published

23 mins ago

December 3, 2025

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Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan healthy but isolated in jail, his sister says

Imran Khan is suffering from isolation after weeks of being denied access to relatives, his family have said.

Khan has been in jail since his August 2023 arrest after he was handed a three-year prison term for illegally selling state gifts.

Now two of his three sisters have spoken out about the former Pakistani prime minister’s plight.

Uzma Khanum was the only family member permitted to meet him in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, where supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had gathered to protest against the conditions of the 73-year-old’s detention.

Ms Khanum said that Khan, a former cricketer, is facing isolation and psychological strain in prison following weeks in which his family said access had been blocked.

“He’s physically well,” said Ms Khanum. “But he’s kept inside all the time, and only goes out for a short while. There’s no contact with anybody.”

The meeting took place under strict supervision, said Ms Khanum, though she declined to provide further details.

PTI says routine prison visits have been blocked for weeks despite court orders, fuelling rumours about his condition and possible prison transfers.

‘Suppressing the people’

One of Khan’s other sisters Aleema Khan told The World with Yalda Hakim that she believes Pakistani authorities were isolating him as an attempt to “suppress the people of Pakistan”.

“I think they are operating out of fear. He represents 90% of this country. How can you put a person who represents 90% of the country in jail?

“They basically want to suppress the people of Pakistan. They don’t want their voice to be heard and they are standing behind Imran Khan. They thought if they isolated [him] people will forget him.”

Authorities deny any mistreatment, and say that Khan is receiving all entitlements available to prisoners.

Ahmed Hassan Al-Arabi, an advisor to Pakistan’s Ministry of Information, told Sky News: “The jails are there as a punishment. They are there for the criminals to stop the evil from the criminals emanating into the society.

“If it has to become a political hub, there is no point of jail. Imran Khan’s sisters have been given access [to him].

“There is no distinction between politicians and Imran Khan’s family members, unfortunately“.

Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022.

He has claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated – and aimed at blocking his political career.

Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is serving time in the same prison over corruption, but they are not allowed to see each other except when they appear in court, his supporters have said.