Iran arbitrarily arrested at least 6,000 people since war began
The U.S.-Israel war wiht Iran has prompted Iranian authorities to launch a large-scale crackdown, arbitrarily arresting at least 6,000 people sence Feb. 28. Amnesty International says those detained include protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, dissidents, and members of ethnic and religious minorities, and that the arrests are paired with a surge in “grossly unfair” trials, politically motivated executions, harsh prison sentences, and asset seizures.
At least 39 executions have been confirmed since the war began, often following expedited proceedings directed by senior judicial officials. Amnesty also reports that Iran has used the crisis to expand repression, targeting anyone who criticizes the government, shares data about U.S. or Israeli strikes or human-rights abuses abroad, or attempts to bypass censorship during Tehran’s near-total internet shutdown. Information was limited for 88 days, with the blackout partially lifted on Tuesday.
Most detainees are accused of dealing with or helping the U.S. and/or Israel-accusations such as “traitors,” “terrorists,” or “agents of foreign powers.” Arrest reasons cited by Amnesty include possessing Starlink equipment, sharing war-related information on social media, photographing strike damage, and charges related to “propaganda” or insulting national and religious symbols. The report argues the repression spike aligns with expectations as Iran faces heightened vulnerability and that it may reflect a broader shift toward a de facto military dictatorship, more pragmatic socially but more hardline on security.
The United States and Israel’s war with Iran triggered a massive repression campaign, with Iranian authorities arbitrarily arresting at least 6,000 people since Feb. 28, a new human rights report said.
Among those arrested on a whim were protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, dissidents, and members of ethnic and religious minorities, a report from Amnesty International, published on Thursday, said. The arbitrary arrest campaign was accompanied by the acceleration of “grossly unfair judicial proceedings, politically motivated executions, harsh prison sentences, and asset confiscations,” the group claimed.
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The group also documented a confirmed 39 executions since the war began, often after expedited prosecutions ordered from senior judicial officials.
Amnesty International Senior Director of Research, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Erika Guevara Rosas said the Iranian government was “exploiting the crisis” to boost its repression apparatus.
HOW IRAN TRANSFORMED FROM AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC TO A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
“To maintain their grip on power, the authorities have unleashed an all-out assault on people in Iran, targeting anyone who dares to criticize the Islamic Republic, share information about the U.S. or Israeli air strikes or human rights violations with the outside world, or simply attempt to break through what became the longest recorded internet shutdown to communicate with loved ones or access independent information,” she said.
Information from within Iran was limited over the past three months due to Tehran’s near-complete internet blackout, which became the longest in history before being partially lifted on Tuesday. In total, nearly all Iranians were cut off from the outside world for 88 days.
Those arrested have mainly been accused of conspiring with the U.S. and/or Israel, with the most common labels being “traitors,” “terrorists,” “mercenaries,” “counterrevolutionary groups,” “agents of foreign powers,” and “enemy collaborators.”
Among the reasons for arrests have been the possession of Starlink equipment, sharing information about the war on social media, taking pictures of damage from air strikes, “insulting the independence and freedom of Iran and Islamic sanctities,” and “carrying out propaganda activities against the country, the flag, and national and religious symbols,” Amnesty International reported.
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The spike in repression was expected, as the strikes against Iran came at the Islamic regime’s most vulnerable point since 1979. The U.S. began moving military assets to the region in earnest after government forces massacred tens of thousands of protesters on Jan. 8 and 9, and President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial rhetoric suggested a goal of regime change.
The decapitation of Iran’s government and switch to war footing helped accelerate the country’s change into a de facto military dictatorship under the rule of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a process already underway for decades. The new wave of repression gives hints as to how Iran may change under the new regime: pragmatic on social matters while being maximalist on security matters.
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