Protestas en la isla

Una protesta en frente al consulado de EE.UU. en Nuuk, la capital de Groenlandia, contra la venta de la isla a Estados Unidos. Foto: AP

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially moved into the historic Gracie Mansion, and he’s already hoping to make changes. The mayor spoke to reporters on Jan. 12 and shared his «aspirational hope» to have a few bidets installed in the mayor’s residence.

«One thing that we will change is we will be installing a few bidets into Gracie Mansion,» Mamdani said. «That’s an aspirational hope. We’ll see if we can get it done.»

A prominent New York City Democrat mocked the mayor’s idea, painting it as a rich man’s fantasy coming from someone who preaches socialism.

«He’s been mayor for a minute and now the socialist thinks he’s flush with so much cash he can buy bidets,» the prominent Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital.

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When speaking to Fox News Digital, the prominent Democrat pointed out the difference between the reaction to Mamdani’s «aspirational hope» to add bidets versus President Donald Trump’s renovations to the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom bathroom.

Trump posted photos of the renovated bathroom on Truth Social in November celebrating the upgrade which included «highly-polished, statuary marble.» While the president argued that the renovation was in line with the original vision for the space, historians disagreed and comedians mocked him. John Oliver, the host of «Last Week Tonight,» called it «tone-deaf.»

The president’s renovations to the East Wing ballroom have also drawn criticism and mockery with Democrats taking aim at the president over the project. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during an appearance on MSNBC that Trump «found time to demolish the East Wing of the White House so that he can build a ballroom where he can be celebrated as if he was a king.»

President Donald Trump announced new renovations to the Lincoln Bathroom through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

The East Wing renovation was mocked on «Saturday Night Live,» which did a skit featuring James Austin Johnson as Trump and Miles Teller as Drew and Jonathan Scott from HGTV’s popular home makeover show «The Property Brothers.» The mockery didn’t end there. During a «Weekend Update» segment, Michael Che said he was glad the floor looked «slippery,» according to the Architect’s Newspaper.

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The Gracie Mansion Conservancy’s website notes that the residence was originally built by Archibald Gracie, a prosperous merchant, in 1799 and was originally a country house located five miles north of what was then known as New York City. Since then, the city has expanded and the mansion is currently located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which is known to be one of the wealthier parts of the city.

The conservancy also stated that Gracie Mansion is one of the oldest surviving wooden structures in Manhattan and has served as the official residence of New York City mayors since 1942.

«Parks Commissioner Robert Moses convinced City authorities to designate the Gracie Mansion as the official residence of the Mayor in 1942 when Fiorello H. La Guardia and his family moved into the house,» the conservancy’s website reads.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.  (John Lamparski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

HomeAdvisor, a home-improvement cost and contractor marketplace owned by Angi, said in 2025 that the average cost to install a bidet was $640, with a typical range of $400 to $1,500. The site noted that costs can run as low as $40 or as high as $2,000. The bidet type, size and quality, as well as necessary plumbing modifications can impact the installation cost.

Meanwhile, HomeGuide, a home-improvement cost guide that compiles pricing data from contractors and project estimates, broke down bidet pricing by unit and installation. The site said a standalone bidet could cost between $700 and $2,600 including installation, while the unit and installation cost for a bidet attachment typically ranges from $100 to $300.

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It is unclear how exactly the city would install bidets in Gracie Mansion.

New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection celebrated Mamdani’s announcement, saying that «more bidets = fewer wet wipes.»

As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.

In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution. Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the «Woman, Life, Freedom» movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.

Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the «Girls of Revolution Street» protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as «encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.»

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Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.

«According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot,» she said. «This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial.»

She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial «safe houses,» authorities expanded detention during the 2022 «Woman, Life, Freedom» protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.

«They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history,» Shariatmadari said.

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Maryam Shariatmadari was detained by Iranian security forces after removing her hijab in protest against mandatory veiling laws during the «Girls of Revolution Street» demonstrations in Tehran. Shariatmadari was later sentenced to one year in prison for what authorities described as «encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.» (Fox News)

Inside detention facilities, she described systematic abuse.

«These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense, and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us,» she said.

One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.

«I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present,» Shariatmadari said. «I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices.»

She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.

«Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery,» she said. «I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support.»

IRAN FLIPS ‘KILL SWITCH’ TO HIDE ALLEGED CRIMES AS DEATH TOLL RISES AMID PROTESTS

Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Eight hours a day, blindfolded

Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.

«I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded,» Ghadimi said.

In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.

«I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,» he said.

According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.

«Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others,» he said.

Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.

«I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment,» Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.

Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.

IRAN REGIME SAID TO UNLEASH HEZBOLLAH AND IRAQI MILITIAS AS UPRISING SPREADS

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, protesters chant slogans during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC via AP) (UGC via AP)

«On the other side of those bars is hell»

Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.

«What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing,» Madadzadeh said.

She said detention facilities were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.

«There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people,» she said.

Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings «to the point of killing.»

One threat made to her during interrogation still haunts her.

«He told me: ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’» she said.

She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.

«We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons,» Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.

Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.

«Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated,» she said.

Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.

«Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice,» an interrogator once told her, she recalled.

She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.

«Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries,» she said. «This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture.»

As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.

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Shabnam Madadzadeh, a former political prisoner detained during Iran’s 2009 uprising, later spoke publicly about torture, solitary confinement and threats of execution inside the Islamic Republic’s prisons, warning that detainees during the current protests face extreme and immediate danger. (Fox News)

«The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran,» Shariatmadari said. «The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected.»

Ghadimi echoed that warning.

«Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls,» he said. «I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment.»

For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.

«The world must respond decisively to this brutality,» she said. «Every minute of delay costs lives.»

She called for concrete international action.

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Demonstrators burn pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Iranian embassy during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Jan. 12, 2026.  (Toby Melville/Reuters)

«Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence,» Madadzadeh said. «Lives depend on it.»

Together, their testimonies paint a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.