Hiding from everyone: the network of citizens sheltering Iran’s protesters

For months, Leila barely saw sunlight.

“I miss being outside… I miss being able to roam freely,” she told CNN 🇧🇷 “I miss my family, my room”.

Her life is now practically confined to four walls, in a house that is not her own, with people that – until a few weeks ago – she had never met.

Leila has been in the crosshairs of the Iranian government for years due to her work as a civil rights activist and grassroots organizer.

She was forced into hiding in September when an arrest warrant was issued after protests erupted across the country over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman accused of flouting the country’s mandatory hijab laws.

Since then, while security forces have been chasing her home and family, Leila has taken refuge in the home of strangers.

An anonymous network of concerned citizens – “ordinary people” connected by a shared mission to protect protesters – who silently support the movement from afar, offering their homes to activists in need.

It’s impossible to know exactly how many protesters are being housed inside Iran, but the CNN spoke with several people who, like Leila, have left their homes and families behind to escape what has become increasingly violent state repression.

Leila says her own story and the stories of those who valiantly hid her show that, just like the extraordinary displays of public anger unfolding in the streets of Iran, “the fight against the regime continues in different forms”.

“I got here in the middle of the night. It was dark. I don’t even know where I am and my family doesn’t either,” she said of her current location.

Leila – who has spent time in some of Iran’s most notorious prisons for her past activism – has long given voice to people the regime prefers to remain silent, defending political prisoners and protesters facing execution.

THE CNN verified documents, videos, witness statements and statements from within the country that suggest at least 43 people may face imminent execution in Iran in relation to the current protests.

Using only a disposable phone and a VPN, Leila continues her work today, communicating with protesters in prison as well as families with loved ones on death row – sharing her stories on social media in an effort to help keep them safe. safe and alive.

“The comments and messages I receive are very encouraging. People are feeling good to see that I’m active now and that I’m with them [durante este levante]🇧🇷

But as time goes by, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps appears to be doubling down on its search for Leila.

“Every day, a car with two passengers is parked in front of my family’s house… They arrested several members of my family and friends several times.

In their interrogations, they ask: “Where is Leila? Where is she hiding? To talk to her loved ones, Leila relies on third parties to forward notes through encrypted messaging services, using code words in case Iranian security forces are monitoring her conversations.

“There are listening devices in our house,” she said. “That’s why I never call my family anymore.”

A “Trusted Friend” and an Unknown Location

For years, Leila’s life has been on hold – interrupted by periods of imprisonment and prolonged interrogations – all at the hands of the Islamic Republic’s notorious security apparatus.

“I was psychologically tortured, kept in solitary confinement. They threatened and humiliated me every day.”

Over the past five years, Iran has been gripped by waves of demonstrations on issues ranging from economic mismanagement and corruption to civil rights.

One of the most visible displays of public anger was in 2019, when rising gas prices led to a wide-ranging revolt that was quickly met with lethal force.

Before the recent protests sparked by Amini’s death – which many see as the most significant threat the regime has faced to date – Leila was trying to rebuild.

“When I got out of prison, life was very difficult for me, but I tried to create little escapes for myself.”

She had set up a local business, enrolled in a university course and was working with a therapist to acclimate herself back to normal life and deal with the trauma caused by years of incarceration.

That all changed just days after Amini’s death, when Leila knew she needed to take an active role once again in the protests that filled streets across the country with chants of “Women, Life, Freedom.”

Alongside her family, she started taking part in marches – sharing names and stories of detained protesters on her social media.

Almost immediately, threats from the Iranian authorities to send Leila back to prison resumed – and then came the warrant.

“They wanted to silence me as soon as the uprising took place after Mahsa Amini was assassinated… I knew that if I wanted to stay and continue my activities, I would have to hide from their sight”.

Countless Iranians were forced to cross borders to evade Iranian security forces.

Leila, however, took a leap of faith and decided to go underground after a “trusted friend” she met through a network of activists set up her first safe house for her. The journey took hours and there was only darkness.

“I wore a mask. I lay down in the car so that no one would notice me. I didn’t even go out to go to the bathroom or eat.”

It has continued to move in the weeks and months since. Smuggled overnight, not knowing her final destination.

“The first place I was, the owner of the house was very scared, so I ended up moving to another place. [Outra] The person I stayed with was really nice and supportive of my efforts.”

off the grid

In order to live totally off the grid, Leila is no longer picking up her meds or seeing doctors or medical professionals.

She has also stopped accessing her bank account and has gone so far as to exchange her life savings for gold, which someone sells to her from time to time when she is in dire need of cash.

As is the case for so many ordinary Iranians who are the driving force behind the protests, Leila’s life “practically stopped”.

“I just breathe and work.” “I am not afraid of prison. Perhaps many people think that we were scared and so we hid, but that is not the case.”

“The only thing I fear is that if I am caught and sent back to prison I will become a faceless name… unable to help the cause and the movement like countless others who were sent to prison and never heard from again. their”.

For now, Leila says the only thing keeping her going as weeks in hiding turn into months is the distant hope that one day she can live in a free Iran.

“The Islamic Republic’s response has always been repression and violence… I hope for a miracle and that this situation ends as soon as possible for the benefit of the people.”

“Just like when I was in prison and solitary confinement, I am honing myself with the hope of freedom,” she said.

Source: CNN Brasil

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