Pressure Intensified On Iranian Students, Professors

Alongside the suspension of vehicles and the closure of establishments, authorities have now intensified scrutiny on ecommerce, citing concerns over "improper hijab" during the shopping period.

They have targeted images on websites and social media deemed to violate strict compulsory hijab regulations. The crackdown has affected numerous bloggers and businesses in the women's clothing sector, leading to page suspensions and post deletions, according to Didban Iran.

One women's clothing vendor, conducting both offline and online sales, spoke of being compelled to remove images following guidelines mandating closed coats and jackets, prohibiting street-location product photography, and banning the use of mini scarves. Any exposure of body parts and the use of distressed jeans is also strictly prohibited.

Reza Olfat Nasab, a member of the Union of Virtual Businesses' board of directors, said that “image regulations are just one of many concerns". She explained, "Larger issues such as internet speed and restrictions pose significant hurdles to the industry's operations.”

The increased enforcement of hijab comes in the wake of extensive protests in Iran following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in 2022 while in morality police custody. Amini's arrest in Tehran, reportedly for violating the Islamic republic’s compulsory hijab requirement, sparked one of the largest uprisings since the regime came to power. 

Women nationwide have been actively contesting the mandatory hijab, leading to heightened vigilance from hijab enforcement personnel in public areas like subway stations, schools and universities and public spaces.

In a statement, the council emphasized that despite the continued use of capital punishment, the government has failed to suppress the people of Iran who have been in the midst of the biggest anti-government unrest since the regime came to power.

"The act of execution is an inhumane, irrational, unethical practice and is the product of the will of the ruling minority, and until today, the punishment of execution has failed to subdue the people of Iran," the association statement said.

The condemnation follows Monday's outcry by over 430 civil and political activists within Iran, who criticized the execution spree, citing contradictions with the country's legal system.

The executions of four Kurdish prisoners—Pejman Fatehi, Mohsen Mazloum, Mohammad (Hazhir) Faramarzi, and Vafa Azarbar— at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, near Tehran, in late January ignited significant outrage. The men were accused of plotting to blow up a defense ministry facility in Najafabad in July 2022, as well as being labeled Israeli agents. Their executions particularly incensed many Iranians, leading to a general strike in Kurdish areas of the country.

Furthermore, the recent executions of Mohammad Ghobadlou, a protester from the 2022 demonstrations, and Farhad Salimi, a Kurdish political prisoner accused of murder, have drawn widespread condemnation from both domestic and international human rights organizations.

The surge in executions in Iran is notable, with 90 executions reported between December 22 and January 21 alone. According to UN experts' reports, Iran executed at least 834 Iranians in 2023, with eight of them reportedly linked to nationwide protests.

According to the few journalists who have since been released, their possessions such as mobile phones have been confiscated but details of the charges and the entity involved in the arrests have not been announced. Six people, including senior editors, are still being held in the building. Officials also conducted an extensive investigation at the office of Fardaye Eghtesad website.

Mizan, the official news agency of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, issued a statement Tuesday, explaining that their investigations show that the security raid to the office of the newspaper and the arrest of an economic journalist had no connection to journalistic or media activities. The judiciary said that the case is being followed by another security authority in the country, which is mainly theintelligence apparatus in such cases.

Etemad Online reported on Tuesday that journalist Mehdi Afsharnik, whose arrest was also announced Monday, was detained on Wednesday, January 31, while the reason and the entity behind his detention are still not clear.

Criticism has emerged regarding the lack of transparency from official authorities, with no clear explanation provided for nearly 20 hours following the incident. Some journalists have described the action as tantamount to “hostage-taking.”

In Iran, journalists have been under pressure for years and are detained, imprisoned, and banned from work under various pretexts.

Last year's Freedom House report on global freedoms ranked Iran 12th in the 100 least free countries in the world.

In the 12 months following the Women, Life, Freedom uprising of 22, at least 79 journalists had been arrested, with the trend continuing, according to rights group Reporters Without Borders.

“I don’t know about the matter you are referring to,” Naser Kanaani said when asked by a reporter Monday at his weekly press briefing about “an American national’s visit” to Iran. “American citizens are not prohibited from traveling to Iran,” he said.

Wright's visit to Iran last week ignited a firestorm on Iranian social media. Some social media users have alleged that authorities either invited or facilitated her visit due to her outspoken anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian stances. She further stirred controversy by sharing photos of herself wearing a full hijab, in compliance with Iran's dress code for women, and asserting that Iran is safe "if you follow the rules."

The 32-year-old pornographic actress and erotic model, born in Oklahoma with mixed Welsh and Native American heritage, is known for her strong support of Palestine and vocal anti-Israeli sentiments.

Critics argue that Wright's claim of Iran's safety ignores the fact that not only is pornography banned in Iran, with severe penalties for those involved in its production, but ordinary Iranian women also face humiliation and arrest for not adhering to the country's strict dress code.

In 2018, Iranian web designer Saeed Malekpour, based in Canada, was arrested during a visit to Iran and subsequently sentenced to death for his involvement in designing and moderating pornographic websites. Malekpour, who later managed to flee Iran, maintained that he had no knowledge that his software could be used for sharing pornography.

The Tasnim news agency, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), quoted "an informed source" on Monday, stating that Wright had not been invited to Iran by any government entity. According to the source, she traveled to Iran privately after obtaining a visa, and visa authorities were unaware of the nature of her profession.

Tasnim also claimed that Wright's visits to locations such as the former American embassy compound in Tehran and the Golestan Palace were entirely her own initiatives and conducted privately.

One of Wright's posts featured her posing beside a lowered American flag at the former US embassy compound in Tehran. In another post, she stood beside a Statue of Liberty, behind which a mural depicted the statue's face as a skeleton on the wall.

Additionally, her posts included a photo of a wall adorned with images of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC's extra-territorial forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militant leader, and Muslim "revolutionaries" from various countries, including Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. This photo appears to have been taken at the former US embassy building.

Wright expressed disappointment in her post that images of Palestinian revolutionaries were not included in the display.

The embassy compound was seized by revolutionary students in 1979, who held embassy staff hostage for 444 days. The Basij militia organization, affiliated with the IRGC, has been stationed at the former US embassy compound in Tehran since 2018.

In response to criticism, Wright disabled comments on her posts and defended her actions, stating, "Posting photos of my trip to Iran now means I'm pushing Iranian propaganda? I'm sharing exhibits from a museum that are rarely seen. It's not an endorsement of the government." She later removed the photos and videos taken in Iran from her social media platforms following reports by numerous Iranian users.

Via the Telegram channel of Kalameh on Sunday, a statement penned by the activists said “recent executions have been driven more by a desire for retribution, instilling fear, and asserting power, rather than serving justice", as the regime struggles to quash dissent.

The executions of Mohammad Ghobadlou, a protester from the 2022 demonstrations, and Farhad Salimi, a Kurdish political prisoner accused of murder, have sparked widespread condemnation from both domestic and international human rights organizations.

Prominent critics of the Islamic Republic, such as Hamed Esmaeilion, Nazanin Boniadi, Prince Reza Pahlavi, and Masih Alinejad, have called on the international community to address the ongoing execution surge.

Echoing the sentiments, Iran Human Rights Organization has added its voice to the chorus of disapproval, urging the international community to break its silence and take concrete steps to address the alarming escalation of executions in Iran.

United Nations experts said that "at least 834 people were executed in 2023, including 8 people associated with the nationwide protests" of 2022 last year, with dozens more already killed this year.