Iranian authorities have executed six people and arrested 700 in a nationwide espionage crackdown during its 12-day war with Israel, officials and human rights groups said.
After Israel’s bombardments on Tehran’s nuclear program exposed the extent of the Jewish state’s infiltration of Iran, the Islamic republic began sweeping up residents on suspicion of treachery, with a half dozen killed in lightning-fast trials, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Human rights groups and local media estimate that more than 700 were arrested across five Iranian provinces, with many of the incarcerated clueless about the charges being levied against them.
Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, said that the state will soon reveal exactly how many people were arrested in the sweeps, as well as what charges they will face.
He told reporters Sunday that many were arrested for “spying for the Zionist regime” — just as the Iranian parliament announced an emergency bill to impose harsher punishments, including the death penalty, over espionage charges.
Jahangir said the judiciary was also expanding its monitoring of electronic communications to go after online accounts that were allegedly cooperating with Israel.
The US-based human rights website HRANA claimed that nearly 300 of the people detained so far were arrested for their online activities, including for making posts on social media regarding the Israeli bombardments.
Amnesty International first rang the alarm over the crackdowns during the war, reporting that one man was killed over espionage accusations just three days after the Israeli attacks began on June 13.
“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,” the human rights group said of Tehran’s alleged misuse of the judicial system.
“The authorities must ensure all those detained are protected from enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and afforded fair trials at all times, including during armed conflict,” the group added.
The crackdown has created a chilling effect across Iran, with many opting to lose their colorful clothes and don more traditional outfits lest they be marked traitors and targeted by authorities.
“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,” a 26-year-old from Tehran told the Washington Post.
An activist who identified herself only as Zahra, 41, told the outlet that at least four of her colleagues were arrested during the sweeps, with more arrests likely to come as Iran tries to keep its iron grip on its citizens firm.
Iran has a history of rounding up and executing dissenters in crackdowns that date back to the Islamic republic’s founding in 1979.
In 2022, 22-year-old lawyer Mahsa Amini died in police custody following her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict hijab rules — sparking nationwide protests.
