The sister of Iran's Supreme Leader has condemned the brutal regime and criticised her brother's "despotic caliphate" in a scathing open letter.
Badri Hosseini Khamenei, sister of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said she has cut ties with her brother and said she express sympathy with "all mothers mourning the crimes of the Islamic Republic".
Her comments come as Iran is gripped by its fourth month of demonstrations, in which people are demanding the overthrow of Iran's clerical rulers following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in police custody.
Ms Amini was arrested for so-called improper dress as her hair was not properly covered.
Women have been taking to the streets in protest of the compulsory hijab law and in solidarity with Ms Amini.
The regime is seeing the biggest threat to its rule in decades, as people show no sign of slowing the protests. The regime has responded to the uprising with a brutal crackdown that has seen at least 475 protesters killed.
"I think it is appropriate now to declare that I oppose my brother's actions and I express my sympathy with all mothers mourning the crimes of the Islamic Republic, from the time of Khomeini to the current era of the despotic caliphate of Ali Khamenei," Ms Khamenei wrote in the letter which was shared on Wednesday on the Twitter account of her son, Mahmoud Moradkhani.
She called on her brother's Revolutionary Guards and mercenaries to lay down their weapons "as soon as possible", before it is too late, the letter dated December 2022 said.
She continued: “I hope to see the victory of the people and the overthrow of this tyranny ruling Iran soon.”
She said her brother “does not listen to the voice of the people of Iran and wrongly considers the voice of his mercenaries and money-grubbers to be the voice of the Iranian people".
Badri Khamenei's daughter, the supreme leader's niece, Farideh Moradkhani, was arrested a week ago.
In her letter, the supreme leader's sister said that if her daughter is arrested in this way, “it is clear that they will inflict thousands of times more violence on the oppressed sons and daughters of others."
Ms Moradkhani has also called on foreign governments to cut all ties with Tehran's "murderous and child-killing regime" in a video shared last month.
Iran announced today it has executed a prisoner convicted for a crime allegedly committed during the country's ongoing protests, the first such death penalty carried out by Tehran.
Mohsen Shekari was reportedly hanged on Thursday morning after he was found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of "enmity against God".
