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France 24
16 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
How Iran is using the war with Israel to ramp up repression by arresting ‘spies'
The day after Israel launched its 'Rising Lion' operation launching a first wave of missiles at Iran, 16 people were arrested by Tehran's regime for 'spreading rumours' on social media, opposition media Iran Wire reported. Since then, such announcements have become a daily occurrence. At least 223 people have been arrested since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran according media reports collated by The NGO Iran Rights Watch. It expects the real figure is significantly higher. Norwegian NGO the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights puts the total number of arrests at 530, with detentions occurring in 27 of Iran's 30 provinces. The Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that a European who entered Iran as a tourist was accused of spying on "sensitive and military" sites and arrested in the country's southern Hormozgan province. Throughout Iran, observers have reported a massive deployment of security services – namely members of the Basij paramilitary volunteer branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – carrying out arrests, often for vague reasons such as causing fires or acting suspiciously in proximity to military bases. The common denominator among the accused is the claim that they have links to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence organisation responsible for covert activity overseas. As the Iranian regime pursues 'spies' it claims have helped Israel with renewed vigour, those who have been arrested face swift and harsh sentencing. Since Israeli strikes began, Iran has executed three prisoners on spying charges. On Monday Mohammad Amin Mahdavi-Shayesteh, who had been in prison since 2023, was hung at dawn for "intelligence cooperation' with Israel, Iran Wire reported. Two other prisoners, Majid Mosayebi and Ismail Fakri, were executed on similar accusations the previous week. The head of Iran's judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, on Saturday called for cases of 'collaborators' with Israel to be expedited so they could face sentencing 'as soon as possible'. 'If the treacherous actions of these defendants are proven, they will immediately face severe punishment, and there will be no leniency or appeasement in this matter,' he said. Israeli infiltration Iran's suspicions of espionage are not unfounded. Prior to launching 'Rising Lion', Israeli agents infiltrated the upper echelons of Iran's leadership. The massive strikes launched on June 13 that killed several of Iran's military leaders and nuclear scientists were the result of years of intelligence work. As well as smuggling weapons into Iran, Israel also ' identified and tracked the movements of the key scientists and military officials who were assassinated', the New York Times reported, citing security sources. In the months prior to the attack, Israeli agents set up a clandestine military base in Iran where drones were stockpiled, a senior Israeli security source told Israeli media outlet Haaretz. Iranians working for Israel were enlisted to build the base, with 'Iranians opposed to the regime mak[ing] for a ready recruiting pool' for Mossad, a former Israeli intelligence official said to The Atlantic Israel's overseas intelligence service had previously demonstrated its ability to act on Iranian soil with the assassination in Tehran of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in July 2024. The cumulation of these successful Israeli intelligence operations is a 'certain paranoia among the Iranian authorities,' said Jonathan Piron, a historian specialising in Iran for the Etopia research centre in Brussels. A crackdown Prior to the war with Israel, Iran regularly announced the arrest and execution of suspected agents allegedly working for overseas intelligence services, often Israeli. Now in the midst of conflict, 'the regime plays off this paranoia and is using the current situation to crackdown on anyone it qualifies as an opponent in the name of defending the country', Piron said. As well as arrests in the street, authorities are expanding a crackdown on the internet. Some 206 people have been arrested for suspicious online activity or content published online, according to the NGO, Hrana. Iran's ministry for communications has explained regular internet backouts since the start of the conflict as a measure to block Israeli cyberattacks, but they are also a tool of repression, preventing the population from sharing information. Pion said it is 'impossible to verify' whether the regime's sweeping arrests in the past two weeks are based on 'concrete' suspicions of espionage or not. But NGOs that monitor Iran have been sounding the alarm. Iran Human Rights warned on Thursday of the potential for 'an intensification of repression and executions in the coming days'. 'Official calls for expediated trials and executions of those arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel show how the Iranian authorities weaponize the death penalty to assert control and instil fear among the people of Iran,' Amnesty International 's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Hussein Baoumi said on June 20. 'The authorities must ensure all those detained are protected from enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and afforded fair trials at all times, including during armed conflict,' he added. Iran is the country that carries out the second most executions in the world after China, according to the two NGOs. In 2024, at least 975 people were executed in Iran – a record high since monitoring began in 2008. Fear of resistance Despite talks of Israeli strikes weakening Iran's regime or even destroying it altogether, an internal wave of resistance against Iran's leadership does not seem to be on the horizon, for now. 'Since the start of the strikes, demonstrations against the regime have stopped completely,' Piron said. There have been public statements from high-profile opposition figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, calling for greater openness from the government, and 'some student movements that are very critical of the government have tried to mobilise protests, but they haven't taken off', he added. 'Iranians are still against the regime but, for the moment, they are focused on security,' Piron said. While resistance is at a low ebb, Iran's leaders are seizing their moment to maintain the status quo. 'There is a certain fear for the regime – that knows it is weakened – of seeing protests emerge at some point,' Piron said. 'Their show of force should nip any protests movements in the bud.'
Rudaw Net
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iranian border guards kill kolbar near Baneh: Watchdog
Also in Iran Newroz in Mahabad: A colorful display of Kurdish identity, resistance Iranian parliament says preparing to implement new hijab bill Iran committed to nuclear safeguards: Deputy FM Iran says will respond to Trump's letter after review A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A kolbar was killed by 'direct fire' from Iranian security forces near the Kurdish city of Baneh in western Iran on Thursday, a human rights watchdog reported. 'Sina Rostampour, a young Kolbar from Baneh, was killed by direct fire from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the border heights of that city' on the eve of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, said the Oslo-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Rostampour, a father of one, was 'shot in the chest' by Iranian security forces and 'died immediately,' according to Hengaw. Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border and sometimes the Iran-Turkey border. They are constantly targeted by Iranian border guards and are sometimes victims of natural disasters. Many kolbars are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's Kurdish provinces. Families of kolbars greatly suffer from attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is often the household's primary source of income. At least 57 kolbars were killed by Iranian security forces in the border areas and 282 were injured in 2024, according to Hengaw's annual report.
Shafaq News
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Nowruz: Kurds celebrate amidst Iranian restrictions
2025-03-17T22:09:11+00:00 Shafaq News/ On Monday, Kurdish cities across Iran marked Nowruz, the Kurdish and Persian New Year, with large public celebrations despite heavy restrictions imposed by authorities. Nowruz has become a politically charged occasion, widely seen as an expression of Kurdish national identity. Authorities have been increasingly wary of mass gatherings, particularly since the protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez. This year, measures were stricter than in 2024, as the holiday coincided with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, giving the government an additional reason to impose tighter controls. Pro-government clerics condemned the celebrations, calling them a violation of religious sanctity and urging authorities to take action against organizers. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, based in Norway, reported that security forces were deployed in Kurdish cities and towns, including Kermanshah, Oshnavieh, Saqqez, and Bukan. Armed with semi-heavy weapons, these forces moved to prevent gatherings and suppress traditional celebrations, leading to multiple arrests. View this post on Instagram A post shared by اعتراضات سراسری (@eterazsar) Despite the crackdown, Nowruz festivities continued across Kurdish-majority regions in western Iran, including Ilam, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijan. Many attendees wore traditional Kurdish clothing, which has increasingly become a symbol of cultural identity. Men dressed in khaki Kurdish outfits—jackets and trousers—along with scarves wrapped around their heads, a style historically linked to Peshmerga fighters. Women wore brightly embroidered dresses in vivid colors, reflecting the cultural significance of the holiday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by فریاد سنگین (@faryadsangin) Videos and photographs showed thousands gathering in public squares, performing traditional Kurdish dances, and wearing colorful attire. The celebrations unfolded against the backdrop of Iran's deepening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the United States and Israel, adding to the country's growing political challenges.
Shafaq News
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
IRGC blocks Nowruz celebrations in Kurdish cities, monitor reports
Shafaq News/ Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has restricted Nowruz celebrations in several Kurdish cities, deploying security forces to prevent public gatherings, according to a human rights monitor. The Hengaw human rights website reported that armed forces attempted to block festivities in Kermanshah, Oshnavieh, Bukan, and Saqqez, citing violations of the right to freedom of assembly. 'Government forces, armed with heavy machine guns, set up checkpoints at the entrance to Singan village in Oshnavieh to prevent celebrations,' Hengaw stated, adding that the IRGC and police forces also established roadblocks in Kani Sork and Qalatok hill, leading to clashes in Tachinavi, where some government forces were reportedly disarmed. Hengaws Bericht über die Versuche der Staatskräfte, die Newroz-Feierlichkeiten in verschiedenen Städten Kurdistans zu verhindern — Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) March 16, 2025 In Bukan, IRGC forces reportedly blocked access to Targheh peak, preventing the Nowruz event. In Saqqez, authorities erected barricades at Mount Jaqal, but the celebration proceeded despite drone surveillance. As for Kermanshah's Darehderaz neighborhood, security forces allegedly attempted to prevent gatherings. 'Despite delays and restrictions, the event was eventually held,' Hengaw noted. Hengaw footage showed Special Unit vehicles patrolling the area in what appeared to be an 'intimidation tactic.' The monitor also reported the arrest of Seyed Kamal Tahai Kanisork, a resident of Oshnavieh's Tachinavi neighborhood, on March 14 by IRGC intelligence forces. He was allegedly subjected to violence during his arrest for organizing Nowruz celebrations. Seyed Kamal Tahai Kanisork, a Kurdish man from Oshnavieh (Shno), has been forcibly arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization in connection with the Newroz celebrations in the city. #KurdistanNewroz — Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) March 15, 2025 Earlier in Mars, Sadegh Hosseini, the IRGC commander in Ilam, announced that no permits would be issued for Nowruz celebrations, warning that 'any individual organizing or collecting funds for celebrations, whether online or in person, would face strict measures.' Despite past arrests and security threats, videos have surfaced showing large-scale Nowruz celebrations in multiple cities across West Azerbaijan and Kurdistan provinces, with significant public participation.
