Iranian protesters who escaped tell CBS News war has made things worse

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Erbil, Iraq — As hopes for a woody betwixt the U.S. and Iran to extremity the war, present successful its 90th day, emergence and fall, there's small denotation that the oppressive authorities that's ruled implicit the state for astir fractional a period is going anyplace soon. As rights groups pass of a melodramatic emergence successful executions, immoderate Iranians fearfulness the Islamic Republic, alternatively than being toppled, whitethorn go much brutal.

After taking portion successful 2 rounds of anti-government protests, Karvan, 22, and his member Kavian, who's 2 years younger, yet made the determination to permission Iran connected May 13, aft surviving successful hiding for months. They near everything down - family, friends and their assemblage studies.

"Our lives were successful danger. If we had stayed, we would person faced jailhouse and execution," Karvan told CBS News successful Iraq's bluish Kurdistan region, wherever the brothers person taken refuge.

"During the war, the concern was chaotic, but aft the ceasefire the authorities became adjacent much utmost against the people," Kavian added.

The young men, whose afloat names CBS News is not utilizing to support their families and associates inactive successful Iran, said they took portion successful 2022 successful the "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstrations. Those protests were sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini successful constabulary custody.

Like the brothers, Amini was a subordinate of Iran's Kurdish number and lived successful the country's occidental Kurdish heartland, wherever determination has agelong been heavy animosity and distrust toward the country's theocratic rulers.

Karvan and Kavian besides took portion successful the monolithic protests that swept crossed Iran successful January, earlier the uprising was violently quashed by the regime. President Trump has said 32,000 radical were killed successful the crackdown, though that fig has not been verified. Rights groups accidental tens of thousands were arrested and dozens person already been executed.

"We felt the tension, and we saw however radical were arrested and injured. We saw however they demonstrated against the authorities and fought backmost against them, truthful their voices could beryllium heard," Karvan told CBS News. "It gave america a feeling of intent to enactment successful the demonstrations and marque our voices heard."

"We saw however radical were shouting against the authorities and government. We saw however they threw stones astatine the authorities and however the authorities utilized state bombs against them to disperse them, injuring galore people," Kavian said.

President Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran connected April 8, which, contempt caller exchanges of fire, is inactive ostensibly successful spot arsenic indirect negotiations betwixt the 2 countries continue.

But the truce brought small alleviation for astir Iranians.

"We felt that the authorities started going aft radical again," said Karvan. "They were arresting radical who went to the demonstrations, accusing them of being Israeli spies. They were adjacent arresting radical conscionable for taking photos of bombed locations."

The brothers said the concern successful Kurdish areas is adjacent worse than different parts of Iran. They said the system is suffering badly, and determination are much authorities checkpoints successful cities wherever information forces cheque people's IDs and phones, "looking for thing that could beryllium held against you."

"Under specified a brutal authorities it is imaginable to beryllium detained, tortured and adjacent get executed conscionable for raising your voice," Zhila Mostajer, an researcher for the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, told CBS News.

According to Hengaw, astir 40,000 radical were detained during the protests aboriginal this year, and portion astir person since been released, galore stay down bars. The enactment says 31 radical detained during the protests person been sentenced to death, and 15 person already been executed.

"It was precise hard for us, but we chose to instrumentality the hazard due to the fact that we are safer here," Karvan said of the brothers' determination to permission their household down to question safety. "We hoped to beryllium distant to amusement the satellite what is happening, truthful the satellite understands what is happening wrong Iran."

The young men person nary program and nary thought however their lives volition signifier up now, but they said they won't instrumentality to Iran portion the Islamic Republic authorities is inactive successful control.

Karvan told CBS News they anticipation the satellite volition spot however Iranians are suffering and propulsion for the alteration that President Trump offered much than 4 months agone — and not conscionable a caller woody connected the Strait of Hormuz oregon Iran's atomic program.

"They ever speech astir however uranium is simply a information if it is successful the regime's hands," helium said. "If you genuinely knew however they dainty their people, you would ne'er fto them enrich uranium, and you would ne'er fto this authorities exist."

"They are a truly unsafe regime," helium added, urging radical astir the satellite to "look deeper," due to the fact that "if they bash this to their ain people, conscionable ideate what they would bash to the remainder of the world."

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