In the wake of the 12-Day War and a tenuous ceasefire between Iran and Israel that is unlikely to hold, the regime is cracking down on alleged dissidents within its borders with arrests, torture, coerced confessions, swift trials, and executions.
(Video Credit: France 24 English)
Iran crushes its own citizens
The domestic security crackdown ratcheted up following major strikes from Israel on June 13 and after three major nuclear sites were effectively destroyed by the US. Israel had many operatives within Iran facilitating their attacks, which have made the mullahs even more paranoid and dangerous.
Over the last several years, Israel has carried out numerous acts of sabotage and assassinations within Iran’s borders. The incidents reveal significant infiltration into the country’s security and intelligence services.
The crackdown began with widespread arrests and a major street presence of Iranian military and security forces, according to Reuters, which cited activists and officials.
Dashed dreams of regime change
Iranians were hopeful at first that the attacks would result in the deaths of the radical Islamist leaders that have them in a death grip. But as things played out, an uprising and regime change proved impossible as harsh security measures were meted out to keep citizens in check. For the Iranians to finally gain their freedom, the leaders and military will have to be dealt with, it would seem.
According to Reuters, no significant protests have taken place yet. It’s also being reported that some on the ground in Iran are frustrated with Iran’s policies and are claiming they led to the war involving the US and Israel.
Iranian leaders spread terror among their citizens to gain control
“The regime convicts and imposes the death penalty based on trumped-up charges to spread terror among the Iranians. Meanwhile, Israel’s Operation Rising Lion has helped the public realize that the Iranian regime is a paper tiger that is weaker than ever,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor Saeed Ghasseminejad asserted in a statement.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Monday that 705 people were arrested in Iran on “political or security-related charges.” The Islamic Republic-run Fars News Agency confirmed that claim, saying that the detainees were arrested for allegedly spying for Israel, while branding them as “mercenaries.”
None of them has been formally charged or tried. Fars also claimed they “were mainly operating within espionage and sabotage networks” and were “identified and arrested based on tip-offs and intelligence operations.”
Fox News reported:
In addition to the arrests, there are reports that three people in Iran accused of being Mossad spies were executed, NBC News reported, citing Tasnim, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The outlet also noted that the three were accused of bringing “assassination equipment” disguised as alcoholic beverages into the country. According to NBC News, citing Tasnim, the “equipment” was allegedly used in the assassination of a public figure.
Nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) warned that at least six others on death row for allegedly spying for Israel are at risk of execution. The organization also said that at least nine individuals have been executed this year on similar charges.
Iranians are being stopped in the streets, their cars and homes are being searched, and the witch hunt is terrifying them.
Paranoia is rampant among Iran’s leaders
Israel’s success at infiltrating Iran’s military, security, and government has resulted in Iran conducting purges, internal investigations, and a mistrust within the country’s security institutions. But they fear their own people the most.
Amnesty International is claiming that this latest conflict with Iran has resulted in Iran accelerating the execution of prisoners as well.
“Official calls for expedited trials and executions of those arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel show how the Iranian authorities weaponize the death penalty to assert control and instill fear among the people of Iran,” Hussein Baoumi, who is the Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
“A rush to execute people after torture-tainted ‘confessions’ and grossly unfair trials would be a horrifying abuse of power and a blatant assault on the right to life,” he added.
FDD noted:
Tehran Hangs 3: The Islamic Republic executed three Kurdish men — Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul — on June 25 on charges of spying for Israel, the Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported. Iran alleged that the three men had committed “moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through collaboration with enemy foreign states in favor of the Zionist regime.” According to IHR, the trio endured unfair trials devoid of due process after the regime extracted false confessions through torture.
More executions are expected to follow. IHR stated that at least six other detainees are waiting on death row on charges of espionage for Israel, including Ahmadreza Djalali, Afshin Ghorbani Meishani, Rouzbeh Vadi, Naser Bekrzadeh, Shahin Vasaf, and Shahin Basami. Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian dual national.
Iran’s military deploys internally
Military deployments are also being ramped up, especially in the Kurdish region. Revolutionary Guard and Basij paramilitary units have been put on alert, and internal security is now the primary focus, according to sources. They have been deployed to schools as well in the region.
The military has also taken measures to protect itself, in another sign that it fears Iranian citizens by evacuating an industrial zone near their barracks and closing major roads for their own use. They are bringing in reinforcements to Kermanshah and Sanandaj, two major cities in the Kurdish region, just in case.
An Iranian official said authorities were worried about Israeli agents, ethnic separatists, and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran. They are now suspicious of all Iranians because of this.
The Jerusalem Post reported, “One of the officials briefed on security said troops had been deployed to the borders of Pakistan, Iraq, and Azerbaijan to stop infiltration by what the official called terrorists. The other official briefed on security acknowledged that hundreds had been arrested.”
The Iranian Islamists fear internal unrest as much as they fear another attack from Israel or the US, it would seem.
The post Iran Brutally Ramps Up Internal Crackdown on Citizens With Mass Arrests and Executions of Alleged Spies appeared first on RAIR.
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Author: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
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