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The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘A new wave of repression': fears for Iran's political prisoners after Israel war
Life for Reza Khandan has only got worse since Tehran's Evin prison, where he was an inmate, was hit by an Israeli airstrike on 23 June. The next night, the 60-year-old human rights activist – who was arrested in 2024 for his support of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement – was moved to another jail in the south of the capital, where he has told family conditions are hard to endure. 'My father and others do not have beds and are forced to sleep on the floor. He once found six or seven bedbugs in his blanket when he woke up,' said his daughter Mehraveh Khandan, who described 'horrific' sanitary conditions in the prison. Families of political prisoners in Iran say conditions have worsened since the end of the 12-day war and that they fear vulnerable detainees will bear the brunt of what activists say is a broader crackdown by the Iranian authorities, whose legitimacy was shaken by Israel's campaign. The fighting began on 13 June with a barrage of hundreds of Israeli airstrikes that Israel said were aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran quickly responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones. The air war brought in the US and continued until both sides agreed a ceasefire. An unknown number of prisoners were moved by the Iranian authorities to other detention facilities in the aftermath of Israel's strike on Evin, which killed 71 people, including some in the jail and others in its vicinity. The whereabouts of many is unknown but those who have been in contact with relatives have said their new jails are even worse than Evin, which was notorious for the torture of political detainees. Mehraveh, who is based in Amsterdam, said: 'The only cooking water available to prisoners was salty until Sunday. [And] in recent days we have witnessed the disappearance of several prisoners who were already facing the death penalty or long sentences.' Many families have not heard from their loved ones, as long queues have formed for the few phones in detention facilities. Asso Azizi, whose sister Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish aid worker, is on death row, said he had not heard from her in two days. She and other women were transferred to Qarchak prison, which is described as overcrowded and unsanitary. 'Unfortunately, they were not even able to take their personal and sanitary items with them,' Asso said. Besides the unsanitary conditions, Asso is terrified that the authorities may expedite his sister's death sentence, which she was handed in July 2024 'solely in relation to her peaceful humanitarian and human rights activities', according to Amnesty International. The Iranian authorities charged her with armed rebellion against the state. 'There is a concern that just as the process of dealing with her case was very hasty and fast, confirming this sentence in only three days, that now they will execute this sentence to create terror among the people,' Asso said. As conditions worsen in prison, activists and residents of Tehran have also described a wave of repression as the country reels from the war. Security forces have set up checkpoints across the country, stopping pedestrians and checking their mobile phones, sometimes detaining people based on their online activity. The security crackdown comes as the Iranian authorities grapple with the extensive Israeli intelligence penetration of its forces and a wave of online criticism. According to Iranian state media, 700 people have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Israel during the 12-day war. The New-York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has said hundreds more were arrested in Tehran and six people were executed on espionage charges. Iran's parliament is considering a bill that allows for broader use of the death penalty for those who are accused of collaborating with foreign powers, with judicial authorities specifically referencing espionage with Israel. Hadi Ghaemi, the CHRI's executive director, said: 'Iranian authorities are locking people up incommunicado without cause or access to a lawyer, and sending them to the gallows on 'national security' charges in order to terrorise the public and re-establish control.' The Iranian prison system is murky, particularly for political prisoners. The legal system is plagued with secret trials and allegations of torture. Tracking detainees through the labyrinthine Iranian security apparatus is often a challenge. For families of Iranian political prisoners, the days ahead will be filled with fear. Mehraveh said: 'It is clear that a new wave of intense repression has begun, more severe than ever before. We are deeply concerned.'
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘A new wave of repression': fears for Iran's political prisoners after Israel war
Life for Reza Khandan has only got worse since Tehran's Evin prison, where he was an inmate, was hit by an Israeli airstrike on 23 June. The next night, the 60-year-old human rights activist – who was arrested in 2024 for his support of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement – was moved to another jail in the south of the capital, where he has told family conditions are hard to endure. 'My father and others do not have beds and are forced to sleep on the floor. He once found six or seven bedbugs in his blanket when he woke up,' said his daughter Mehraveh Khandan, who described 'horrific' sanitary conditions in the prison. Families of political prisoners in Iran say conditions have worsened since the end of the 12-day war and that they fear vulnerable detainees will bear the brunt of what activists say is a broader crackdown by the Iranian authorities, whose legitimacy was shaken by Israel's campaign. The fighting began on 13 June with a barrage of hundreds of Israeli airstrikes that Israel said were aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran quickly responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones. The air war brought in the US and continued until both sides agreed a ceasefire. An unknown number of prisoners were moved by the Iranian authorities to other detention facilities in the aftermath of Israel's strike on Evin, which killed 71 people, including some in the jail and others in its vicinity. The whereabouts of many is unknown but those who have been in contact with relatives have said their new jails are even worse than Evin, which was notorious for the torture of political detainees. Mehraveh, who is based in Amsterdam, said: 'The only cooking water available to prisoners was salty until Sunday. [And] in recent days we have witnessed the disappearance of several prisoners who were already facing the death penalty or long sentences.' Many families have not heard from their loved ones, as long queues have formed for the few phones in detention facilities. Asso Azizi, whose sister Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish aid worker, is on death row, said he had not heard from her in two days. She and other women were transferred to Qarchak prison, which is described as overcrowded and unsanitary. 'Unfortunately, they were not even able to take their personal and sanitary items with them,' Asso said. Besides the unsanitary conditions, Asso is terrified that the authorities may expedite his sister's death sentence, which she was handed in July 2024 'solely in relation to her peaceful humanitarian and human rights activities', according to Amnesty International. The Iranian authorities charged her with armed rebellion against the state. 'There is a concern that just as the process of dealing with her case was very hasty and fast, confirming this sentence in only three days, that now they will execute this sentence to create terror among the people,' Asso said. As conditions worsen in prison, activists and residents of Tehran have also described a wave of repression as the country reels from the war. Security forces have set up checkpoints across the country, stopping pedestrians and checking their mobile phones, sometimes detaining people based on their online activity. The security crackdown comes as the Iranian authorities grapple with the extensive Israeli intelligence penetration of its forces and a wave of online criticism. According to Iranian state media, 700 people have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Israel during the 12-day war. The New-York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has said hundreds more were arrested in Tehran and six people were executed on espionage charges. Iran's parliament is considering a bill that allows for broader use of the death penalty for those who are accused of collaborating with foreign powers, with judicial authorities specifically referencing espionage with Israel. Hadi Ghaemi, the CHRI's executive director, said: 'Iranian authorities are locking people up incommunicado without cause or access to a lawyer, and sending them to the gallows on 'national security' charges in order to terrorise the public and re-establish control.' The Iranian prison system is murky, particularly for political prisoners. The legal system is plagued with secret trials and allegations of torture. Tracking detainees through the labyrinthine Iranian security apparatus is often a challenge. For families of Iranian political prisoners, the days ahead will be filled with fear. Mehraveh said: 'It is clear that a new wave of intense repression has begun, more severe than ever before. We are deeply concerned.'
Middle East Eye
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
How supporters of 'Woman Life Freedom' in Iran rejected Israel's assault
The protests that followed the death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022 were arguably the most significant to rock Iran in decades. Tens of thousands took to the streets, enraged by the apparent killing of a woman arrested by morality police over how she wore her hijab, which exposed a range of other grievances that exploded into public view. The slogan "Woman Life Freedom", which has its roots in the pro-Kurdish groups associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was taken up as the mantra of the movement and quickly spread among reformists and opponents of the Islamic Republic. When Israeli and US attacks began raining down on Iran on 13 June, some critics of the ruling establishment, particularly westerners and Iranians in the diaspora, began talking up the assault as an opportunity for regime change. That rhetoric was echoed by Israeli officials and even Donald Trump. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters But despite their animosity towards the Islamic Republic, few activists and critics in Iran see a change of governance being born from Israel or the US, or would welcome such a process. The East Kurdistan Free Women's Society (KJAR) is one of the most prominent Iranian groups associated with the Woman Life Freedom movement. Letter from death row Politically followers of PKK co-founder Abdullah Ocalan, the group is no stranger to repression in Iran. One of their members, Verisheh Moradi, who fought against the Islamic State group in Syria, is facing a death sentence for "armed rebellion" over her support for the 2022 protests. Speaking to Middle East Eye, Deniz Derya - a member of the group's coordination council - said Moradi was currently suffering from serious health issues, including a "cervical disc rupture and spinal canal stenosis". She also highlighted the deteriorating conditions facing their comrade Zeynab Jalalian, who has endured "years of severe torture" since being first arrested in 2008. Pakhshan Azizi, another KJAR member, was also sentenced to death in July 2024 over her involvement in the Mahsa Amini protests. Despite the hardships faced their activists at the hand of the state, however, KJAR has refused to back calls for the US or Israel to overthrow the Islamic Republic by force. Derya said a project is underway by "global powers" to "reshape the region" through Israel. 'Both the Israeli and Iranian states are fully aware of the transformative power of women' - Deniz Derya, KJAR "Wars between nation states have brought nothing but massacres, displacement, poverty and exile to the Middle East and beyond, because such conflicts are driven by state interests, not the interests of the people," she said. In spite of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran commencing on Tuesday under US pressure, few believe the conflict between the two countries is over, even if it has died down for the moment. Last week, Moradi joined fellow prisoners Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Sakineh Parvaneh and Reyhaneh Ansarinejad to issue a letter, published by the pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency, from the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. They accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and said its goal was to create a "weak and submissive" Middle East. Israel then bombed the prison. Derya said there was no real understanding of the implications or desires of the Woman Life Freedom movement by those still wedded to patriarchal ideologies. "Both the Israeli and Iranian states are fully aware of the transformative power of women. One seeks to co-opt it; the other, to crush it," she said. "However, the revolutionary uprising [of 2022] showed that, by relying on their own will, the people can bring about profound changes." Co-opt or crush The most prominent figure in the Iranian opposition to throw his weight behind the Israeli assault has been Reza Pahlavi, son of the former ruler of Iran whose ouster in 1979 led to the rise of the Islamic Republic. He expressed a desire to take power in Iran in the wake of the collapse of the current regime, and has praised Israeli and US strikes on the country. At a speech on Monday hours before the beginning of Trump's ceasefire announcement, Pahlavi gave a news conference in which he mentioned speaking to a woman whose brother was killed during the Woman Life Freedom protests in September 2022. Deniz Derya, member of the Coordination Council of the Free Women's Community of Eastern Kurdistan (supplied) "When security forces raided her home, she cried out: 'Oh God, where shall we go? Where shall we go to flee from your tyranny?'" he said. "One by one, her neighbours began to respond to her: 'We're not going anywhere! They, the regime, are the ones who've got to go!' These words echo in my heart - and should echo in every corridor of power around the world." Yet many in the opposition, particularly inside Iran, are less than thrilled by the prospect of a Pahlavi returning to power - not least the Kurdish groups who remember the repression meted out against them by his father. 'The regime cannot be done in from the sky. It must be on the ground' - member of Kurdish Iranian party They have balked at the use of the "Woman Life Freedom" slogan in social media by Pahlavi, or by his wife Yasmine, or by Benjamin Netanyahu. A member of a Kurdish independence party - who did not want to be identified - said that Iran's non-Persian population looked on Pahlavi being promoted by foreign media and politicians with dread. "The non-Persian nations are afraid that he will massacre and oppress them like their fathers and grandfathers," she said. She added that the dominance of the Persian majority in Iran meant there was little prospect of a popular uprising in the country any time soon and that an "external army" was needed to "liberate" Iranians of other backgrounds. "The regime cannot be done in from the sky. It must be on the ground," she said. 'Civil society of Iran' Some supporters of the Woman Life Freedom movement, however, have been somewhat more nuanced in their attitude to the most recent developments. While refusing to back the attacks on Iran, there are some Iranians who squarely lay the blame for the destruction on the Islamic Republic. Kawsar Fattahi, a senior member of the left-wing Komala party, said Iran had spent more than 40 years playing up the prospect of war with Israel and the current situation was the result. 'Stop seeing Israel and instead hear the voice of opposition groups' - Kawsar Fattahi, Komala "Despite widespread opposition from the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement, many hold the belief that this conflict might potentially undermine the government even further," she told MEE. "But the Iranian people should put an end to the regime." She said that Komala had no desire for outside forces to overthrow the Islamic Republic - just for the international community to stop "compromising" with it. Fattahi, who also previously fought the Islamic State group in Iraq as a Peshmerga commander, said the Iranian people began to shatter the Islamic Republic's "gender apartheid" in 2022 with the Mahsa Amini protests The Israeli co-opting of the "Woman Life Freedom" slogan, she added, was irrelevant in this context. "Stop seeing them and instead hear the voice of opposition groups," she said. "Woman Life Freedom is the soul of the civil society of Iran. The movement that can lead Iran to democracy and peace." What now? Both Israel and Iran launched missiles on Tuesday after the supposed beginning of Trump's ceasefire. However, the US president has responded forcefully to Israel, warning Netanyahu against further attacks. The assault seems to have hardened some views towards outside intervention. Violins over violence: Tehran's musicians fought fear with music Read More » Narges Mohammedi, a Nobel Prize-winning women's rights campaigner and former political prisoner, who was under house arrest, advocated an end to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the "resignation of the current leaders" of the country during the strikes. In the wake of the attacks on Tehran, which forced her to flee the capital, she became much more forcefully critical of the strikes, warning like many others that "democracy cannot come through war". While few believe this marks the end of conflict between Iran and Israel, the pause is likely to lead to recriminations domestically in both countries. Iranian authorities are already thought to have arrested scores of alleged Israeli spies since Israel launched its attacks on 13 June. Fattahi said that she was concerned that in the coming days - assuming no more Israeli or US strikes were forthcoming - the Iranian state would come down on suspected collaboraters and opposition groups like a tonne of bricks. "For the time being, it is unclear what the outcome of this conflict will be, but if it does not destabilise the Iranian government completely, it will lead to even more repression of its own people, particularly Kurdish groups," she said. "For the simple reason that they are so terrified of a popular rebellion that they are willing to resort to extreme measures like mass imprisonment and executions of inmates to prove that they are still in control."
The National
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
'Worst internet shutdown': Iranians abroad fear for loved ones amid blackout back home
It has been a week of dreading and despair for Shirin, a young Iranian woman living in Europe. She has not heard from her family in Iran for five days, after the government disconnected phone and internet services over cybersecurity threats sparked by the war with Israel. The many text messages Shirin sends each day go unanswered. Her calls are cut off after one ring and WhatsApp threads remain marked with a disheartening single tick – meaning recent messages have not been delivered. More than 400 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks on June 13, Iranian state media has reported. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities. The blackout imposed earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people of Iran has left civilians in the dark about when and where the next Israeli strike might occur. Activists describe the move as a form of psychological warfare in a country all too familiar with state-imposed information controls and internet shutdowns during times of unrest. 'It's like waiting outside an operating room, not knowing anything about how the surgery is going,' said Shirin. 'The last thing my dad told me before the shutdown was, 'Don't worry, stay where you are and go on with your life. It's all going to be OK.' But, of course, we're completely panicked.' She said the last time such an internet shutdown occurred was during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022. Those were among the most significant political uprisings in Iran 's recent history, when millions demanded an end to gender-based discrimination. The protests were met with violent repression by authorities. Shirin is far from alone. Around the world, Iranians are desperately waiting for any news that their loved ones back home are safe, as deadly missile exchanges between Iran and Israel have escalated since June 13, following strikes Israel claimed were aimed at halting Tehran's nuclear programme. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that the change or fall of Iran's leadership was not a goal of Israel's attacks, but could be a result. Cyber attacks have surged since the conflict began, aimed at Iranian banks and state television networks. On Wednesday, hackers briefly took control of the national TV news channel and broadcast a message calling on people to hold protests, which the network quickly dismissed as an 'irrelevant message'. Prominent internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks said the country had faced significant disruptions since the conflict started. On Saturday, it said internet services partially resumed after a 62-hour, government-imposed shutdown. These blackouts severely 'limit the public's ability to express political viewpoints, communicate freely and follow safety alerts amid continuing conflict with Israel", the group said. While Iran blocks access to many foreign websites, social media and messaging apps, a wider range of websites could not be reached this week. The slowdown has also reportedly disrupted tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), which many rely on to access international content. 'This was the worst internet shutdown we've ever experienced in Iran,' Amir Rashidi, director of cybersecurity and digital rights at Miaan Group. 'Usually, they block access from inside the country to the outside. But in this case, we had no access both ways. We have never had this kind of shutdown before. It meant we had zero visibility into what was happening inside the country.' He said VPNs were restricted and phone calls from outside Iran were completely blocked, although calls within the country still worked. 'There's been some improvement starting today [June 21],' he added. 'But there's still fear it could come back at any time.' There is currently a 'white-listing' system in place, with only a limited number of websites accessible both inside and outside Iran. 'It's unclear what the exact policy is or how these websites are chosen,' he said. 'Concerning' pattern Rights organisations have denounced the move to restrict internet access as part of a concerning trend. 'We are deeply worried about the nature and scale of the shutdown, which only adds to the distress of people already grappling with … uncertainty,' Hussein Baoumi, the Middle East and North Africa deputy regional director at Amnesty International, told The National. 'Restricting access to platforms like WhatsApp and other communication tools prevents people from obtaining potentially life-saving information, including warnings about bombings.' Iranian authorities have cut off internet access at other critical periods in the past. In 2019, Tehran completely shut down access for six days during nationwide protests that reportedly led to the deaths of more than 100 people amid a crackdown by security forces. 'The shutdown also serves to control what can be shared on social media, particularly anything that might challenge the government. We've raised concerns about this pattern in the past,' said Mr Baoumi. Abbas, another Iranian living in Europe, said blackouts occurred every time there was unrest in the country. For him, this reveals the government's true intentions behind the latest restrictions. 'As soon as there are protests, they cut the internet so people can't communicate, film or share information. They cut it to limit communication with the Iranian diaspora, to block access to information from abroad,' he said. 'They cut it because they're afraid of the people."
The National
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iranians abroad fear for loved ones' lives amid internet blackout back home
It has been a week of dreading and despair for Shirin*, a young Iranian woman living in Europe. She has not heard from her family in Iran for five days, after the government disconnected phone and internet services, citing cyber security threats sparked by the war with Israel. The many messages Shirin sends by SMS each day go unanswered. Her calls are cut off after one ring and WhatsApp threads remain marked with a disheartening single tick – meaning recent messages have not been delivered. More than 400 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks on June 13, Iranian state media has reported. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities. The blackout imposed earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people of Iran has left civilians in the dark about when and where the next Israeli strike might occur. Activists describe the move as a form of psychological warfare in a country all too familiar with state-imposed information controls and internet shutdowns during times of unrest. 'It's like waiting outside an operating room, not knowing anything about how the surgery is going,' said Shirin. 'The last thing my dad told me before the shutdown was, 'Don't worry, stay where you are and go on with your life. It's all going to be OK,' but of course, we're completely panicked.' She said the last time such an internet shutdown occurred was during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, among the most significant political uprisings in Iran 's recent history, when millions demanded an end to gender-based discrimination. The protests were met with violent repression by authorities. Shirin is far from alone. Around the world, Iranian expatriates are desperately waiting for any news that their loved ones back home are safe, as deadly missile exchanges between Iran and Israel have escalated since June 13, following Israeli strikes it claimed were aimed at halting Iran's nuclear programme. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that the change or fall of Iran's leadership was not a goal of Israel's attacks but could be a result. Cyber attacks have surged since the conflict began, aimed at Iranian banks and state television networks. On Wednesday, hackers briefly took control of the national TV news channel, broadcasting a message calling on people to protest, which the network quickly dismissed as an 'irrelevant message'. Prominent internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks said the country had been witnessing significative disruptions since the conflict started. On Saturday, it said partial internet service resumed after a 62-hour government-imposed shutdown. These blackouts severely 'limit the public's ability to express political viewpoints, communicate freely and follow safety alerts amid continuing conflict with Israel,' said the organisation. While Iran blocks access to many foreign websites, social media and messaging apps, a wider range of websites were unreachable this week. The slowdown has also reportedly disrupted tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), which many rely on to access international content. 'This was the worst internet shutdown we've ever experienced in Iran,' Amir Rashidi, director of cybersecurity and digital rights at Miaan Group. 'Usually, they block access from inside the country to the outside. But in this case, we had no access both ways. We have never had this kind of shutdown before. It meant we had zero visibility into what was happening inside the country.' He said VPNs were restricted, and phone calls from outside Iran were completely blocked, although calls within the country still worked. 'There's been some improvement starting today [June 21],' he added. 'But there's still fear it could come back at any time.' Currently, there's a 'whitelisting' system in place, with only a limited list of websites accessible both inside and outside Iran. 'It's unclear what the exact policy is or how these websites are chosen,' he said. A 'concerning' pattern Human rights organisations have denounced the move to restrict internet as part of a 'concerning' trend. 'We are deeply worried about the nature and scale of the shutdown, which only adds to the distress of people already grappling with … uncertainty,' Hussein Baoumi, the Middle East and North Africa deputy regional director at Amnesty International, told The National. 'Restricting access to platforms like WhatsApp and other communication tools prevents people from obtaining potentially life-saving information, including warnings about bombings. ' Iranian authorities have cut off internet access at other critical periods in the past. In 2019, Tehran completely shut down access for six days during nationwide protests that reportedly led to the deaths of more than 100 people amid a violent crackdown by security forces. 'The shutdown also serves to control what can be shared on social media, particularly anything that might challenge the government. We've raised concerns about this pattern in the past,' said Mr Baoumi. Abbas, another Iranian expatriate living in Europe, said that blackouts occur every time there is unrest in the country. For him, this reveals the government's true intentions behind the current restrictions. 'As soon as there are protests, they cut the internet so people can't communicate, film or share information. They cut it to limit communication with the Iranian diaspora, to block access to information from abroad,' he said. 'They cut it because they're afraid of the people,' he added.
