What is Hamed Esmaeilion after?
What is Hamed Esmaeilion after? Is Hamed Esmaeilion right or his opponents? Is his insistence on sanctions beneficial or harmful to the Iranian people? These days, he has become a prominent figure among protesters abroad and sometimes inside the country.
After the nationwide march of Iranians in various countries, initiated by him, many perceive him as a leader of the Iranian people’s protest movement. They believe that what he achieved single-handedly could not be accomplished by any of the faces or groups claiming opposition or by television networks over all these years.
Now, he has launched a campaign addressed to the G7 member countries, which has been signed by nearly 300,000 people so far. He has called for these countries to immediately declare the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic or their representatives in international organizations, who are based in one of these countries, as personae non gratae and expel them.
Why Zarif, why Tajzadeh?
However, Esmaeilion’s current image and actions have garnered as many critics as supporters. The issue began when Hamed Esmaeilion succeeded in getting the Canadian government to sanction figures from inside Iran, including Mohammad Javad Zarif. Some of the criticisms against him stem from this.
Critics argue, why should Zarif, who has worked for years to lift sanctions against Iran, be on a list of individuals who have benefited from or encouraged sanctions against Iran? Critics of Hamed Esmaeilion believe that any action that tightens the situation for the people inside Iran is a mistake. Therefore, they believe that Hamed Esmaeilion is not free from error and that the right to criticize him is preserved.
In the midst of all this, for unknown reasons, a tweet he posted during the 2021 presidential election against Mostafa Tajzadeh suddenly resurfaced on Twitter, seemingly to deliberately fuel a new polarization. After that, attacks on Esmaeilion began, especially since Tajzadeh, a serious critic who has paid the price inside the country, has been imprisoned for months and was recently sentenced to eight years in prison.
Hossein Derakhshan tweeted, ‘Hamed Esmaeilion’s attack on Tajzadeh, who has done more damage to the foundations of tyranny in Iran than any other reformist and has paid the highest price, now imprisoned and isolated in Khamenei’s bloodthirsty prison, is highly unethical, unjustifiable, and even shameful.’
Twitter activist Hadi Mousavi also criticized Esmaeilion, writing, ‘In seeking justice for the Ukrainian plane, I don’t differ from Hamed Esmaeilion by a single letter. This crime leaves no room for tolerance. However, mocking those who are paying the price inside and sanctioning someone who has done everything to lift sanctions is certainly something I will criticize, even at a cost.’
Some also believe that the end of diplomacy is the beginning of war and tell Esmaeilion, ‘Mr. Esmaeilion, the Iranian people do not want war. No to the Islamic Republic, yes to Iran. No to war and sanctions against the Iranian people. No to turning Iran into Libya. No to hidden Mujahideen.’ Others believe that the result of Esmaeilion’s letter is the sanctioning of 80 million people inside Iran.
Monarchists and the fear of Esmaeilion
Part of the disputes surrounding Hamed Esmaeilion is also about power struggles. Any figure who becomes more popular these days has a better chance for the future. It is natural that groups and individuals who have been thinking about that future for years and now see it closer than ever start attacking and undermining. Some accuse him of being connected to the Mujahideen, while others accuse him of being associated with NIAC.
That’s why someone wrote on Twitter, ‘Some believe he did exactly what the exported opposition hasn’t done in 43 years. Now he’s stirred up the ant’s nest, and all the exported ones have poured out onto Iran’s streets. What you want isn’t being voiced. These young people are much more aware and alert than their predecessors.’
Another wrote, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the attacks on Hamed Esmaeilion trace back to Masih Alinejad.’ A monarchist wrote, ‘They sit and trend Hamed Esmaeilion and say with a few bots that the Iranian people want this, but we can’t trend the hashtag ‘My Vote is for Pahlavi,’ meaning we’ve accepted we’re a minority. Monarchists, retweet! I’m nothing, nothing, just a monarchist. Let’s trend this hashtag for the spilled blood.’
Another supporter of Reza Pahlavi wrote, ‘If events unfold such that European countries recall their ambassadors, expect London networks to attribute this achievement to Hamed Esmaeilion, while the Crown Prince asked for the recall of ambassadors in a meeting with the European delegation about 25 days ago.’ Another supporter wrote that ‘Hamed Esmaeilion used to travel to Iran before the Ukrainian plane incident and was a supporter of the Islamic Republic. But we, the overthrowers, have one leader, and that is Prince Reza Pahlavi.’
From the supporters’ perspective
Supporters and fans of Hamed Esmaeilion, however, respond to the criticisms by saying he is not a saint, and no one is expected to see his face in the moon. He is not the leader of any movement or revolution but is one of the opportunities that today’s Iranian society needs for convergence. The widespread attacks on Hamed Esmaeilion before the Berlin gathering are not just targeting him but the idea of convergence. Instead of elite assassination, let’s think about multiplying these opportunities.
Faraj Sarkouhi also tweeted, ‘The attack by some reformists and some masked or unmasked agents of the regime on Hamed Esmaeilion, a creative writer playing a historic role in supporting the people’s uprising, on the eve of the Berlin demonstration, is nothing but a manifestation of the shamelessness of those who lick the blood-stained hands of the people’s executioners.’
Of course, critics of Esmaeilion are also upset with the reactions of his supporters to the criticisms. One wrote, ‘No one has the right to tell Imam Hamed Esmaeilion that his eyebrows are raised because Imam Hamed Esmaeilion’s family were victims of the IRGC’s crime, so he can do whatever he wants. Let me be clear, a sanction-seeker is shameless.’
Whether it’s Imam Hamed Esmaeilion or the filth of the Stability Front, when it comes to Iran’s soul, we have no reservations with anyone. This sarcasm about Imam Esmaeilion is used because some believe he is being elevated to the level of a saint, just as in 1979 an Imam rose from Paris, now some are looking for an Imam from Canada.
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