Latest news with #Urmia
Washington Post
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Iranian authorities make sweeping arrests in wake of war with Israel
DUBAI — Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds of people and executed half a dozen in a sweeping security crackdown that analysts say is aimed at exerting control after a brief but punishing war with Israel exposed Iran's deep infiltration by Israeli intelligence. In the week since a ceasefire was declared, security forces have erected checkpoints in Tehran and other cities and urged citizens to report anything suspicious. The Iranian parliament also announced an emergency bill that includes harsher punishments for espionage, including the death penalty, and the judiciary said it ordered the creation of special courts to swiftly handle the 'traitors and mercenaries.' In a news conference Sunday, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, Asghar Jahangir, said he would soon provide details on how many people have been arrested and on what charges. He said only that 'a number of people suspected of spying for the Zionist regime have been identified and cases filed against them.' According to local media reports and human rights groups, more than 700 people were arrested across five provinces during the 12-day conflict. The Center for Human Rights in Iran, which is based in New York, said it received credible reports of hundreds more arrested in Tehran. It reported that at least six people were executed for spying for Israel, including three who were put to death in Urmia in western Iran on June 25. Rights groups have condemned the moves, with Amnesty International warning against arbitrary executions and expedited trials. The arrests have also raised fears inside Iran that a new wave of repression is coming, as the government seeks both to root out spy networks and clamp down on any dissent among the wider population. Iranian security forces have beaten, arrested, tortured and executed thousands since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. More recently, the regime cracked down on nationwide protests that erupted when a woman died while in the custody of Iran's guidance patrol — or morality police — in September 2022. In the months leading up to Israel's offensive, the government appeared to ease some social restrictions, while others were tightened. The enforcement of strict female dress codes appeared to taper off in some cities, but the government increased its monitoring of discourse online. At the same time, Iranian prisons stepped up executions. At least 975 people were executed in Iran last year, according to the United Nations, which said it was the highest number recorded in nearly a decade. So when the Israeli strikes started, 26-year-old Iman, an engineer from Tehran, said he immediately began to worry about a potential crackdown. 'As long as this government exists, I am concerned about the chances of increased repression, but during times when there's an 'external threat,' the repression gets much worse as they have more excuse to see us as enemies,' he said of Iranian authorities. Iman, like some others in this story, spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his first name for fear of reprisal by security forces. Over the past week, he said he has changed the way he dresses in public, wearing less colorful clothing out of fear he could become a target. New checkpoints in Tehran, where plainclothes officers stop cars and question drivers, have contributed to an intimidating atmosphere in the sprawling capital, residents said. Zahra, 41, an activist from Tehran, she said she has heard that at least four fellow activists were rounded up during the conflict. She fears that more widespread arrests are on the horizon, she said. 'The Iranians probably don't even know the full extent of the infiltration yet,' said a Western official who was briefed on the security situation and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. 'So, they are out there hunting,' the official said. 'Suspicions are heightened.' Perhaps most troubling, rights groups say, is the effort by parliament to make espionage a capital crime. Iran is already one of the world's top executioners, hanging people for offenses ranging from murder and rape to drug smuggling and corruption. The law would give the judiciary much broader authority to impose the death penalty, rights activists say. And while Israel pummeled Iranian military targets throughout the conflict, including weapons, infrastructure and senior commanders, the tools Iran uses to crack down domestically are largely intact, according to Afshon Ostovar, an Iran expert and professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in California. 'What Israel has done is really weaken the military as an external actor, but it hasn't done much to weaken it as an internal actor. And it takes a lot less to wage violence inside a country than outside of it,' Ostovar said. To crack down domestically, Iranian forces 'don't need missiles and drones and jets and helicopters. They just need rifles and big vehicles, and those still exist,' he said. 'The state hasn't lost its ability to monopolize violence.' But Ostovar doubts that Iran's leaders will reflect on some of the more uncomfortable questions about their deep unpopularity and the value of some security practices such as a mass surveillance. 'If they were reflective, they'd realize that the reason why they were so bad picking up the Israelis is because they're focused on every single person in the crowd,' he said. He referred to surveillance programs that cast wide nets, monitoring social media discourse or how Iranian women cover their hair in public. 'They have no way to discriminate who's an actual spy and who's not, because everybody with a bad hijab or tweeting the wrong thing is seen as equal to an actual foreign operative,' Ostovar said. The Iranian judiciary announced last week that it was expanding its monitoring of electronic communications. Jahangir, the judiciary spokesman, said Sunday that it would also pursue online accounts 'that were cooperating with the enemy.' Jahangir also praised Iranian citizens, who he said 'immediately provided a lot of information' that led to quick identifications and arrests. In recent days, top Iranian officials have emphasized the country's 'unity' in the face of Israel's attacks, which killed more than 900 people, according to the government. In his first public remarks since the ceasefire, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the country 'showed that when it's necessary, a unified voice will be heard from this nation, and praise God, this is what happened.' President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed those comments. Iranians learned 'not to submit to humiliation and not to bow our heads before oppression,' he said in a statement on X. 'Our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.' Regardless of the messaging, however, Iran has emerged from the conflict 'in a greatly weakened position,' said Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst with the Eurasia Group, a New York-based political risk consultancy. 'There will be questions about the strategic failures of not only the last two weeks, but of the last two years,' he said, referring to the collapse of Iran's allies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria following the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That kind of accounting could lead to shuffles within the country's leadership. 'So not regime change,' Brew said. 'But changes within the regime should be expected in the months and years ahead.'
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran hangs three more accused of spying as fears grow for Swede
Iran on Wednesday hanged three men convicted of spying for Israel after what activists decried as an unfair trial, bringing to six the number of people executed on such charges since the start of the war between the Islamic republic and Israel. The hangings have also amplified fears for the life of Swedish-Iranian dual national Ahmadreza Djalali who has been on death row for seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of spying for Israel which his family vehemently denies. The executions also bring to nine the number of people executed by Iran on espionage charges since the start of 2025, with activists accusing the Islamic republic of using capital punishment as a means to instil fear in society. Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul and Azad Shojai were executed earlier Wednesday in the northwestern city of Urmia, the judiciary said, the day after a truce between the Islamic republic and Israel came into effect. They had "attempted to import equipment into the country to carry out assassinations," it added. Iran had executed three other men accused of spying for Israel since the start of the conflict on June 13, in separate hangings on June 16, June 22 and June 23. "The Islamic Republic sentenced Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, and Azad Shojai to death without a fair trial and based on confessions obtained under torture, accusing them of espionage," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), told AFP. He said Ali and Shojai were two border porters -- known locally as kolbar -- who carry goods over the border. "They were arrested on charges of smuggling alcoholic beverages but were forced to confess to espionage for Israel," he said. Ali and Shojai were members of Iran's Kurdish minority while Rasoul, while also Kurdish, was an Iraqi national. - 'Imminent risk' - He warned that in the coming weeks the lives of "hundreds" more prisoners sentenced to death were at risk. "After the ceasefire with Israel, the Islamic republic needs more repression to cover up military failures, prevent protests, and ensure its continued survival." Djalali was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to death in October 2017 on charges of spying following what Amnesty International has termed "a grossly unfair trial" based on "'forced confessions' made under torture and other ill-treatment." Long held in Tehran's Evin prison, which was hit by an Israeli strike on Monday before the truce, he has now been transferred to an unknown location, raising fears that his execution could be imminent, his family and government said. "He called me and said, 'They're going to transfer me.' I asked where, and he said, 'I don't know,'" his wife Vida Mehrannia told AFP. "Is it because they want to carry out the sentence? Or for some other reason? I don't know," she said, adding that she was "very worried" following the latest executions. The Swedish foreign ministry said it had received information that he has been moved to an "unknown location" and warned there would be "serious consequences" for Sweden's relationship with Iran were he to be executed. Amnesty International said Tuesday it was "gravely concerned" that he "is at imminent risk of execution". - 'Grossly unfair trials' - Rights groups say defendants in espionage cases are often convicted under vaguely-worded charges which are capital crimes under Iran's sharia law including "enmity against god" and "corruption on earth". Analysts say that Israel's intelligence service Mossad has deeply penetrated Iran, as shown by its ability to locate and kill key members of the Iranian security forces in the conflict. But rights groups say that those executed are used as scapegoats to make up for Iran's failure to catch the actual spies. Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei had ordered swift trials against people suspected of collaborating with Israel with rights groups saying dozens of people have been arrested since the conflict started. "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," said Hussein Baoumi, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. According to IHR, Iran has executed 594 people on all charges this year alone. Iran executes more people every year than any nation other than China. sjw/ekf/giv
Asharq Al-Awsat
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran Hangs Three More Accused of Spying for Israel
Iran on Wednesday hanged three men convicted of spying for Israel after what activists decried as an unfair trial, bringing to six the number of people executed on such charges since the start of the war between the Islamic republic and Israel. The hangings have also amplified fears for the life of Swedish-Iranian dual national Ahmadreza Djalali who has been on death row for seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of spying for Israel which his family vehemently denies. The executions also bring to nine the number of people executed by Iran on espionage charges since the start of 2025, with activists accusing Tehran of using capital punishment as a means to instil fear in society. Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul and Azad Shojai were executed earlier Wednesday in the northwestern city of Urmia, the judiciary said, the day after a truce between the Islamic republic and Israel came into effect, AFP reported. They had "attempted to import equipment into the country to carry out assassinations," it added. Iran had executed three other men accused of spying for Israel since the start of the conflict on June 13, in separate hangings on June 16, June 22 and June 23. "The Islamic Republic sentenced Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, and Azad Shojai to death without a fair trial and based on confessions obtained under torture, accusing them of espionage," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), told AFP. He said Ali and Shojai were two border porters -- known locally as kolbar -- who carry goods over the border. "They were arrested on charges of smuggling alcoholic beverages but were forced to confess to espionage for Israel," he said. Ali and Shojai were members of Iran's Kurdish minority while Rasoul, while also Kurdish, was an Iraqi national. - 'Imminent risk' - He warned that in the coming weeks the lives of "hundreds" more prisoners sentenced to death were at risk. "After the ceasefire with Israel, the Islamic republic needs more repression to cover up military failures, prevent protests, and ensure its continued survival." Djalali was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to death in October 2017 on charges of spying following what Amnesty International has termed "a grossly unfair trial" based on "'forced confessions' made under torture and other ill-treatment." Long held in Tehran's Evin prison, which was hit by an Israeli strike on Monday before the truce, he has now been transferred to an unknown location, raising fears that his execution could be imminent, his family and government said. "He called me and said, 'They're going to transfer me.' I asked where, and he said, 'I don't know,'" his wife Vida Mehrannia told AFP. "Is it because they want to carry out the sentence? Or for some other reason? I don't know," she said, adding that she was "very worried" following the latest executions. The Swedish foreign ministry said it had received information that he has been moved to an "unknown location" and warned there would be "serious consequences" for Sweden's relationship with Iran were he to be executed. Amnesty International said Tuesday it was "gravely concerned" that he "is at imminent risk of execution". - 'Grossly unfair trials' - Rights groups say defendants in espionage cases are often convicted under vaguely-worded charges which are capital crimes under Iran's sharia law including "enmity against god" and "corruption on earth". Analysts say that Israel's intelligence service Mossad has deeply penetrated Iran, as shown by its ability to locate and kill key members of the Iranian security forces in the conflict. But rights groups say that those executed are used as scapegoats to make up for Iran's failure to catch the actual spies. Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei had ordered swift trials against people suspected of collaborating with Israel with rights groups saying dozens of people have been arrested since the conflict started. "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," said Hussein Baoumi, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. According to IHR, Iran has executed 594 people on all charges this year alone.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iran executes three men accused of spying for Israel
Iran has executed three men accused of spying for Israel, as it cracks down on suspected foreign interference. Since Israel started bombing the country, hundreds of people have also been arrested. The hangings on Wednesday mean that six people have now been executed on similar charges. The three men – Idris Aali, Azad Shojaei and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul – were executed at dawn at Urmia prison on charges of 'corruption on Earth through cooperation with hostile foreign states in favour of Israel', according to state media. Iran's Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Fars news agency reported on Wednesday that authorities have arrested more than 700 people across the country on allegations of spying for Israel. Both the arrests and the executions suggest that the Islamic Republic is waging an extensive crackdown going forward as the regime works to regain power and legitimacy after the devastation. Iranian officials are likely more concerned than ever about the risk of espionage given that it has emerged that Israeli intelligence was able to operate from within Iran to launch its initial attack. The executions came one day after Iran accepted a US-brokered ceasefire ending 12 days of war with Israel. All three had been arrested in connection with the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a Iranian nuclear scientist. 'Imported assassination equipment' Aali and Shojaei were cross-border porters, known as kolbars, initially detained on alcohol smuggling charges who later confessed under interrogation to importing 'equipment for assassinating nuclear figures', according to authorities. Iran's judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency claimed that the men had 'imported assassination equipment under the cover of alcohol shipments'. The killings follow Iran's recent execution of Ismail Fekri and Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh on espionage charges. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organisation said Fekri was 'sentenced to death in a brief 10-minute trial based on confessions made during interrogation' without access to a lawyer in Branch 26 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court. Iran has been cracking down on citizens since the war began, claiming that Israeli agents have deeply infiltrated the country. The 700 arrests happened over 12 days and spanned provinces including Kermanshah, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Fars and Lorestan. No arrest figures were provided for Tehran. Security officials accused the detained individuals of 'directing suicide drones', 'making homemade bombs', 'photographing sensitive military sites' and 'sending information to Israel'. Authorities also claimed to have confiscated more than 10,000 'micro-drones' in Tehran alone. Iranian officials have not provided independent verification of the detainees' identities or case details, and no photographic evidence of alleged confiscated materials has been released. Iran's judiciary announced that it would immediately revise the legal definition of espionage 'to free the hands of the judiciary and security institutions to deal with infiltrators and spies'. Limitations of espionage law Asghar Jahangir, the spokesman for the judiciary, said on Tuesday: 'The current espionage law is general and may not cover many instances of today's events.' He said that if Iran had attempted to prosecute individuals arrested during the war with Israel under existing espionage definitions, authorities would have faced 'limitations and restrictions'. Meanwhile, citizens across Iran reported receiving threatening text messages from the judiciary warning them not to follow social media accounts affiliated with the Israeli government. The messages warned of prosecution under Iran's 'law against hostile actions of the Zionist regime'. Iranian lawyers dismissed the messages as having 'no judicial or legal value' and said they were intended to 'create fear and terror'. Iran Human Rights Organisation has warned that Iran might accelerate executions of prisoners accused of espionage following recent tensions with Israel. Concerns are mounting over the possible execution of Ahmad Reza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish researcher who was transferred from Evin prison to an undisclosed location after Israel's Monday attack on the detention centre. The fragile ceasefire appeared to hold on Tuesday night after both sides blamed each other for violations. It went into effect after the US bombed Iran's three main nuclear sites over the weekend and the Islamic Republic retaliated by firing missiles at an American base in Qatar.
BreakingNews.ie
25-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Iran executes three prisoners accused of spying for Israel
Iran executed three more prisoners for allegedly spying for Israel on Wednesday, the latest hangings connected to the country's war with Israel. The hangings happened in Urmia Prison in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, the country's most north-west province, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Advertisement IRNA said Iran's judiciary claimed the men had been accused of bringing 'assassination equipment' into the country. Iran has carried out several hangings during its war with Israel, sparking fears from activists that it could conduct a wave of executions after the conflict ended. Iran identified the three men executed as Azad Shojaei, Edris Aali and Iraqi national Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul. People began to return to their normal lives as a ceasefire with Israel appeared to be holding (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) Amnesty International had previously raised concerns that the men could be executed. Advertisement Wednesday's executions bring the total number of hangings for espionage around the war up to six since June 16. Activists fear more people will be executed, particularly after Iran's theocracy issued a deadline for people to turn themselves in over spying. People in Iran, meanwhile, began trying to return to their normal lives as a shaky ceasefire with Israel, negotiated by US President Donald Trump, appeared to be holding. State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea area and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city. Advertisement Tehran experienced intense Israeli airstrikes throughout the war, including those that targeted Iran's top military leadership and other sites associated with its ruling theocracy.
