Authorities in Iran’s southwest have apprehended six individuals who are accused of organizing riots on the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, which sparked widespread protests throughout the country. Amini, an Iranian Kurd, passed away on September 16, 2022, after being arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.
According to state media reports on Saturday, the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province has taken action by suspending five social media pages and arresting the six individuals behind them. The official news agency IRNA stated that the IRGC has accused the suspects of “organizing riots and inciting insecurity on the Internet,” but did not disclose their identities.
The statement released by the IRGC mentioned that the arrested individuals were active during the riots that occurred last year and had previous criminal records. It further stated, “In conjunction with the enemies’ attempts to create chaos on the anniversary of last year’s riots, the administrators of these five social media pages were planning gatherings to disrupt peace in the coming days.”
Following Amini’s tragic demise, demonstrations erupted across Iran, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives, including numerous security personnel, and the arrest of thousands of individuals connected to what authorities described as foreign-instigated “riots.”
These recent arrests have taken place shortly after the IRGC’s intelligence body and Tehran’s intelligence ministry jointly announced that they had successfully “identified and dealt a blow” to a “riot-organizing network” that was allegedly receiving financial support from the US State Department. The individuals affiliated with this network were accused of attempting “to prepare and present an agenda for rioters to revive the atmosphere of tension and disturbance,” as stated in the joint statement issued on Wednesday.
The Iranian government has consistently maintained that the protests following Amini’s death were fueled by external forces seeking to destabilize the nation. The authorities have taken a firm stance against any form of dissent or opposition, particularly when it is perceived as being influenced by foreign entities.
As the situation in Iran unfolds, it remains to be seen how these arrests and the government’s crackdown on dissent will impact the country’s social and political landscape.
