Tehran, Iran – Several of Iran’s former leaders, including some who are currently imprisoned or under house arrest, have released damning statements over the killing of thousands during nationwide protests, garnering threats from hardliners.
The Iranian government claims that 3,117 people were killed during the antiestablishment protests. The government has rejected claims by the United Nations and international human rights organisations that state forces were behind the killings, which were mostly carried out on the nights of January 8 and 9.
“After years of ever-escalating repression, this is a catastrophe that will be remembered for decades, if not for centuries,” wrote Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former reformist presidential candidate who has been under house arrest since the aftermath of the Green Movement of 2009.
“How many ways must people say that they do not want this system and do not believe your lies? Enough. The game is over.”
Mousavi told state forces to “put down your guns and step aside from power so that the nation itself can bring this land to freedom and prosperity”, and stressed that this must be done without foreign intervention amid the shadow of another war with the US and Israel.
He said that Iran is need of a constitutional referendum and a peaceful, democratic transition of power.
A group of 400 activists, including figures from inside and outside the country, backed Mousavi’s statement.
Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent jailed former reformist politician, said that he wants Iran to “move beyond the wretched conditions that the guardianship of Islamic jurists and the failed rule of the clergy have imposed on the Iranian nation”.
In a short statement from prison last week, he said this would be contingent upon the “resistance, wisdom, and responsible action of all citizens and political actors” and called for an independent fact-finding mission to uncover the true aspects of “atrocities” committed against protesters last month.
‘Major reforms’
Other former heavyweights have heavily criticised Iran’s current course, but have avoided calling for the effective removal of the Islamic Republic from power.
Former President Hassan Rouhani, who many believe is eyeing a potential future return to power, last week gathered his ex-ministers and insiders for a recorded speech, and called for “major reforms, not small reforms”.
He acknowledged that Iranians have been protesting for a variety of reasons over the past four decades, and insisted the state must listen to them if it wants to survive, but did not mention the internet blackout and killing of protesters during his tenure in November 2019.
Rouhani added that the establishment must hold public votes on major topics, including foreign policy and the ailing economy, in order to avoid further nationwide protests and prevent the population from looking to foreign powers for help.
Mohammad Khatami, the reformist cleric who was president from 1997 to 2005, adopted a softer tone and said violence derailed protests that could have helped “expand dialogue to improve the country’s affairs”.
He wrote in a statement that Iran must “return to a forgotten republicanism, and an Islamism that embraces republicanism in all its dimensions and requirements, placing development together with justice at the core of both foreign and domestic policy”.
Mehdi Karroubi, another senior reformist cleric who had his house arrest lifted less than a year ago after 15 years, called the protest killings “a crime whose dimensions language and pen are incapable of conveying” and said the establishment is responsible.
“The wretched state of Iran today is the direct result of Mr. Khamenei’s destructive domestic and international interventions and policies,” he wrote, in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been in absolute power for nearly 37 years.
Karroubi noted one prominent example as the 86-year-old leader’s “insistence on the costly and futile nuclear project and the heavy consequences of sanctions over the past two decades for the country and its people”.
Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013 [File: Frank Franklin II/AP Photo]
Political prisoners rearrested
Three prominent Iranian former political prisoners were arrested and taken to prison by security forces once again last week.
The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said the reason for the arrests of Mehdi Mahmoudian, Abdollah Momeni, and Vida Rabbani was that they had sneaked out Mir Hossein Mousavi’s statement from his house arrest.
Mahmoudian is a journalist and activist, and co-writer of the Oscar-nominated political drama movie, It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Momeni and Rabani are also political activists who have previously been arrested by the Iranian establishment multiple times.
The three were among 17 human rights defenders, filmmakers and civil society activists, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and internationally recognised lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who co-signed a statement last week that put the blame for the protest killings on the supreme leader and the theocratic establishment.
“The mass killing of justice seekers who courageously protested this illegitimate system was an organised state crime against humanity,” they wrote, condemning the firing on civilians, the attacks on the wounded, and the denial of medical care as “acts against Iran’s security and betrayal of the homeland”.
The activists called for holding a referendum and constituent assembly to allow Iranians to democratically decide their political future.
Hardliners incensed
In hardline-dominated circles and among their affiliated media, the mood has been entirely different.
On Sunday, lawmakers in parliament donned the uniforms of the IRGC, which was last week designated a “terrorist” organisation by the European Union.
They chanted “Death to America” and promised they would seek out European military attaches working at embassies in Tehran to expel them as “terrorists”.
Nasrollah Pejmanfar, a cleric who represents northeast Mashhad in the parliament, told a public session of parliament on Sunday that former President Rouhani must be hanged for favouring engagement with the West, echoing a demand also made by other hardline peers in recent years.
“Today is the time for the ‘major reform’, which is arresting and executing you,” he said, addressing Rouhani.
Amirhossein Sabeti, another firebrand lawmaker, condemned the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian – but not Khamenei or the establishment – for proceeding with mediated talks with the US.
“Today, the people of Iran are waiting for a pre-emptive attack on Israel and US bases in the region, not talks from a position of weakness,” he claimed.
The Petro administration has also continued to target criminal networks that traffic in cocaine through arrests and the seizure of shipments.
In November, Petro announced the Colombian government had made its largest drug bust in a decade, with law enforcement nabbing nearly 14 tonnes of cocaine.
Gloria Miranda was appointed by Petro in 2024 to lead Colombia’s Directorate for the Substitution of Illicit Crops, the agency overseeing the voluntary eradication efforts.
She believes that the Petro administration’s efforts have been mischaracterised as ineffective.
“There’s been a narrative that Colombia isn’t doing anything in the fight against drug trafficking,” she told Al Jazeera.
“But we’ve seized 276,000 kilogrammes [608,500 pounds] of cocaine, destroyed 18,000 laboratories, arrested 164,000 people, and are replacing more than 30,000 hectares [about 74,100 acres] of illicit crops.”
But critics — including Trump — argue Petro’s measures have yet to translate into results. Coca cultivation and cocaine production remain stubbornly at record levels.
According to the latest United Nations figures, coca cultivation rose in Colombia by about 10 percent in 2023. Potential cocaine output also jumped 53 percent to about 2,600 tonnes.
Gloria Miranda, second from right, stands next to President Gustavo Petro at a government event [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]
Petro has questioned the accuracy of those numbers, though. Last week, ahead of Petro’s meeting with Trump, his government announced it would no longer use the United Nations figures, arguing that they rely on an “obscure statistical method”.
Michael Weintraub, the director of the Center for the Study of Security and Drugs (CESED) at the University of the Andes, told Al Jazeera that some of Petro’s pushback is political.
But he added that there is a genuine basis for questioning the UN’s methodology.
“The ‘potential cocaine production’ measure has a lot of baked-in assumptions that make it very difficult to trust,” Weintraub said.
It predicts coca production from selected plots, but yields vary by region and season. The UN itself has admitted there are limitations in its method.
Despite these concerns, coca cultivation in Colombia has trended upward for decades.
Analysts note one overriding factor: demand. Consumption in North America and Europe remains strong, and new markets have emerged in Asia, Africa and South America.
“Coca can only grow in limited places due to climate, soil and elevation,” Weintraub said. “So Colombia is likely to remain a major producer for the foreseeable future.”
VICTORIA and Nicola clashed again this week – but for once it wasn’t with each other.
The pair released brand new modelling shoots on exactly the same day as they made a bid to put Brooklyn’s statement behind them.
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Victoria Beckham and Nicola Peltz clashed again this week – but for once it wasn’t with each otherCredit: GennyThe pair clashed at Paris Fashion Week, where Victoria launched her debut eyewear range on the same day that Nicola was showcasing her role with fashion brand GennyCredit: Victoria Beckham Eyewear/Mert and Marcus
As well as a pink trouser suit, Nicola wore a number of elaborate, colourful gowns for the brand.
Victoria meanwhile launched her debut eyewear range on the same day.
She posed up in a pair of her own frames and said: “I wanted strong, instantly recognisable silhouettes that felt effortless to wear, so the focus for this collection was really on refining shape and proportion.”
Nigella Lawson has admitted that she’s “frightened” but “excited” ahead of joining The Great British Bake Off as a new judge, but warned that she’s very different to Paul Hollywood
12:57, 29 Jan 2026Updated 12:57, 29 Jan 2026
Nigella Lawson has revealed her nerves ahead of Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off‘s new judge Nigella Lawson has admitted that she’s “a teeny bit frightened” to take on the show – and will have a different approach to co-star Paul Hollywood. The 66-year-old was confirmed earlier this week as the new star who’ll be replacing Prue Leith.
Appearing on This Morning today, Nigella said that she plans to take the show “very seriously” – and warns that she’ll be applying a different judging “philosophy” to co-judge Paul. She told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: “I’m a teeny bit frightened. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. I am excited but I take it very seriously.
“The thing about Bake Off is it’s about the programme. – an institution of national treasure status and it’s about the bakers. I want to be there and be part of it,” she added. “One of the reasons it’s been enduringly popular is that feels like it’s about community and I guess we just all need that.”
As for how she’ll fare in the iconic Bake Off tent, Nigella admitted that she’s “the clumsiest person in the world“, which could lead to disaster. “As long as I don’t knock any of their cakes off the table or the stand,” she said.
“I feel like I’m not someone who looks for fault, I look for pleasure. My basic attitude in life. I feel Paul Hollywood is Mr. Technical, I’m all about the eating.”
Nigella added: “If I see my job as eating, it’s not too daunting. I can eat.”
Nigella will be the third judge to take on that Bake Off slot alongside Paul Hollywood, with Prue Leith and Dame Mary Berry coming before her.
Mary was one of the show’s original judges when it started on the BBC in 2010, however she left the show alongside hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins when it moved to Channel 4 in 2016. Prue took over the following year for Channel 4’s first series and has been with the show ever since.
Earlier this month, Prue announced that she was leaving Bake Off for good, saying in a statement: “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.
“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden.”
“Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this year.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun answers lawmakers’ questions during a National Assembly committee hearing in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo by Asia Today
Jan. 28 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s opposition People Power Party and the ruling Democratic Party traded accusations Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about restoring higher tariffs, with conservatives faulting the government’s diplomacy and liberals arguing Seoul must move quickly to pass pending legislation tied to a bilateral investment package.
The dispute unfolded at a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee hearing, where Foreign Minister Cho Hyun faced questions about what the opposition described as a sudden reversal after the government promoted a tariff outcome that did not require a formal agreement document.
People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok said the public had been led to believe tariffs would remain lower once legislation related to U.S.-bound investment was introduced and processed. He said Trump’s renewed tariff warnings felt like a betrayal to many South Koreans and criticized the government for opposing parliamentary ratification procedures, arguing major commitments should be handled through proper legislative channels.
Several People Power Party lawmakers pressed the government over the effectiveness of its communication channel with Washington, mocking earlier claims that a high-level “hotline” had been established and questioning whether Seoul had meaningful leverage if tariff threats resurfaced so quickly.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo said the government’s claim that negotiations were so successful they did not require a joint statement was not credible. He argued that if talks had been truly successful, the two sides would have presented the outcome publicly through a joint briefing.
Ruling party lawmakers countered that Trump’s unpredictability is well known and that repeated focus on ratification could slow Seoul’s ability to respond diplomatically and economically. They urged swift deliberation and passage of a special bill tied to U.S. investment commitments, saying similar memorandums and fact sheets with partners are often handled without full treaty-style ratification.
The dispute comes as South Korea moves to implement a bilateral memorandum and related measures that had been linked to tariff levels, while Seoul says it has not received an official U.S. notice of any change.
