From Serving in Iran's Police to Joining the Protesters: My Personal Journey

Omid Moradi, a former member of the Iranian police's Special Task Forces, has revealed his reasons for defecting and joining anti-government protesters. In an interview with BBC Persian, Moradi explained that he became conflicted by the violence he witnessed and decided to switch sides. After completing his training at the police academy, Moradi was chosen to train for the Special Task Forces due to his physical fitness. He disclosed that the training included religious and military lessons, as well as instruction on using brutal force against opponents. Iran's police forces consist of various branches and are estimated to have hundreds of thousands of officers. The country has experienced numerous protests in recent years, which have been brutally suppressed by security forces. Human rights organizations have documented numerous instances of excessive violence by these forces. Moradi's first assignment in 2016 was to break up a protest by pensioners. Although he resisted attacking protesters, his defiance led to reprimands, and he was eventually dismissed from the force. According to Moradi, many of his former colleagues also felt conflicted about their role in sustaining the regime's oppression. He criticized the lack of consequences for police officers who use excessive force against protesters or torture and kill government opponents. Moradi left the police before the recent wave of protests that followed the death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa "Zhina" Amini in police custody. He cited economic sanctions and widespread corruption within the security forces as additional grievances faced by ordinary members. During the protests, Moradi switched sides and joined the demonstrators but was arrested himself while trying to help a woman escape. He claimed he was tortured both physically and psychologically while in custody. To secure his release, his father, also a former police officer, paid large bribes to his former colleagues. Fearing re-arrest, Moradi fled Iran and managed to reach Germany using smuggling routes. He is currently seeking asylum there.