Since uprising in Iran impunity for crimes reigns supreme - Rights group

Compiled by the Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) and Voices Unbound (VU), the 100-page document urges the global community to recognize art as a form of political resistance and to take immediate steps to safeguard artists facing persecution.

Despite condemnation from the international community, the report says dozens of Iranian artists are serving prison terms, and some face execution as a direct result of their creative work.

The protests in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022 after being detained by the so-called morality police for allegedly wearing "improper hijab," quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising.

The "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, as it became known, saw Iranians from across the country calling for regime-change and voicing their opposition to systemic discrimination, repression, and violence by the Iranian state.

Tehran, in turn, responded with a brutal crackdown, imprisoning tens of thousands of protestors on arbitrary grounds to punish them for their participation and discourage them from taking part in future protests. Hundreds were killed in the security apparatus’ efforts to stifle protests.

While several previous publications have documented the widespread human rights abuses committed by Iranian authorities, this new study shifts the focus to the central role of art and artists in political resistance.

Although artists like renowned rapper Toomaj Salehi have long been targets of state persecution, the analysis reveals that the regime has intensified its tactics, imposing severe censorship, imprisonment, and even torture on those who dare to express dissent.

By presenting comprehensive accounts from artists, the document illuminates the critical role many played in amplifying the voices of the 2022-2023 protests through their creative work and exposes the legal mechanisms used by Iran's judicial system to suppress dissent.

While providing new insights into how these legal tools are systematically used to suppress artistic expression and silence opposition, the report also provides a comprehensive analysis of how the Iranian government has systematically targeted artists who supported the movement.

It reveals the various tactics used by the regime, such as censorship, surveillance, arbitrary arrests, forced confessions, travel bans, and extraterritorial repression, to silence these artists. This highlights a pattern of suppression specifically aimed at controlling artistic expression, which the report argues is a form of resistance in Iran's repressive environment.

The report draws on interviews and testimonies of artists like Zhinos Taghizadeh, Nazanin Nourozi, and Yalda Moaiery who have experienced censorship, exile, and prosecution.

Moaiery, a photojournalist, was detained while capturing images at one of the initial Woman, Life, Freedom demonstrations in September 2022.

Moaiery told AFI and VU that she was given no explanation for her arrest. After being identified by police officers while she was in prison, Moaiery was separated from the other women protestors and placed into solitary confinement for extended periods. Moaiery, who is currently in the US, explained that she had been arbitrarily detained and tortured by authorities several times throughout her career prior to this instance, and that the experience of being subjected to solitary confinement continues to weigh heavily on her mental and emotional health.

In urging a redefined understanding of artistic expression as a significant form of political dissent and its critical role in the “Women, Life, Freedom" protest movement, the report and several contributors call on the international community to take urgent action to support Iranian artists under threat.

They call for the provision of more resources for legal aid, creating safe haven and immigration pathways, amplifying their voices globally, and imposing targeted sanctions on those persecuting them.

“The international community must acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Iranian artists as defenders of human rights,” Johanna Bankston, Senior Officer of Human Rights Research & Policy at AFI, said in a press release. “It is imperative to support their courageous efforts and ensure their safety amidst ongoing persecution.”

The report says its recommendations aim to protect artistic freedom and ensure that Iranian artists can continue to resist oppression and share their powerful messages with the world.

According to Tehran’s envoy in Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, President Pezeshkian was invited by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani. In addition to visiting the capital, Baghdad, Pezeshkian will also travel to the Shiite city of Basra and the Kurdish region of Erbil during his official visit.

He met al-Sudani at the airport, where they reviewed a guard of honour. The visit would include the signing of a number of agreements and discussion of the Gaza war and the situation in the Middle East.

"We are planning to sign several agreements," Iran's state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying before his departure.

Pezeshkian also held a meeting with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that around 15 MoUs would be signed, Iranian state media reported. "We have several cooperation areas, including political, regional ... and security issues," Araqchi said.

The relationship between the Islamic Republic and Iraq is complex, with Tehran wielding significant influence over its Arab neighbor through the Shiite religious, political, and paramilitary groups it supports. However, tensions arise due to the presence of Iranian Kurdish armed groups sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan region, complicating the dynamic between the two nations.

In March 2023, Iran and Iraq signed a security agreement under which Tehran gave Iraq a deadline of September 19, 2023, to disarm Iranian Kurdish parties based in the Kurdistan region and close their military camps.

Last week, just before Pezeshkian’s scheduled visit, three Iranian Kurdish armed groups were relocated to a "less accessible" camp in Iraqi Kurdistan after months of pressure from Tehran on both the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq’s central government.

A rare partner of both the United States and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. Since 2019, these groups have periodically targeted US military bases in Iraq, occasionally soliciting military responses from the United States. The attacks escalated after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and mostly stopped in February after retaliatory US air strikes on the Iran-backed groups.

"We are planning to sign several agreements," Iran's state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying ahead of the visit. "We will meet senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad."

The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, say sources familiar with the matter.

Iran has carried out artillery and missile attacks on targets in Iraq Kurdistan in the past, saying it is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.

"We have several co-operation areas, including political, regional ... and security issues," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ahead of the president's trip, according to state media.

Iran’s expectations from the Iraqi government, however, go further than simply relocating Kurdish groups they have demanded the extradition of dozens of separatist leaders and the complete disarming of all militias.

Iran exports electricity to Iraq, with US permission despite American sanctions, however recouping the proceeds in hard currency has been an issue for Tehran, because Washington has not waived banking sanctions on Iran. Last year, the Biden administration allowed Iraq to pay $11 billion in accumulated debts to Iran, but only indirectly.

In its latest report, Human Rights Watch said “two years after the outbreak of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Iranian authorities continue to silence and punish family members demanding accountability for violations against their loved ones.”

Among them is Mashallah Karami, father of protester Mohammad, who was executed in January 2023. He has since been sentenced to 8 years and 10 months in prison on fake charges of “participation in money laundering” and “obtaining property through illegitimate means.” Now, he faces a fine and the confiscation of his assets as part of his sentence.

“Iranian authorities are brutalizing people twice over; executing or killing a family member and then arresting their loved ones for demanding accountability,” said Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The Iran judiciary should urgently free unlawfully detained family members and ensure fair trials and a transparent judicial process for anyone accused of a crime.”

Minors have also fallen victim to the crackdown. According to Baluch human rights group Halvash, Faramarz Abil Barahoui, the 15-year-old brother of Esmaeel Abil Barahoui, a victim of the Bloody Friday crackdown on protesters in Zahedan in 2022, has been sentenced to eight months in prison. Halvash reported last year that he was arrested after he visited his brother's grave.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network also reported that on September 3, security agents raided the home of the family of Zanyar Aboubakri, who was shot and killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Mahabad in October 2022, arresting his 16-year-old brother, Ramyer.

It is part of a nationwide crackdown on dissent. “Iranian authorities have a long track record of pressuring families whose loved ones were killed by security forces or executed by Iranian courts”, HRW said, including threatening and pressuring families of victims from the 2019 protests, as well as families of those killed on Flight PS752, a Ukrainian Airlines flight shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in 2020, to deter them from pursuing accountability.

The report comes while Amnesty International released information regarding the imminent execution of human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi. She was sentenced to death in June in relation to her peaceful human rights activities.

A campaigner for women’s and workers’ rights as well as the abolition of the death penalty, she was a member of a legal workers’ committee in Iran until 2011, when independent trade unions were banned. "Her trial was grossly unfair, and her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment were never investigated,” the rights group said.

Amnesty also noted that “in the aftermath of the Woman Life Freedom uprising, Iranian authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to install fear among the population and tighten their grip on power …. [including] the use of the death penalty against women on politically motivated charges”.

Last year alone, Iran executed more than 850 people. Iran Human Rights reported that Iranian authorities executed 249 people in the first six months of 2024, though under the secrecy of Iran’s government, it is believed the numbers could be higher.

Iran has been deeply involved in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine since mid-2022, providing drones, spare parts, and training. However, the provision of missiles is viewed by Western powers as a significant escalation, warranting a strong response.

“The Department of State is concurrently designating three entities, including Iran Air, and identifying five vessels as blocked property involved in the proliferation of Iranian weapons systems to Russia,” the US Treasury announced on Tuesday, shortly after the three European powers said they would cancel all air service agreements with Iran.

“Our international partners are announcing measures that will not allow Iran Air from operating in their territories in the future and are pursuing further designations of Iran- and Russia-based individuals, entities, and vessels involved in the transfer of Iranian lethal aid to Russia,” the US Treasury added.

The E3 sanctions against Iran’s civil aviation industry are particularly significant, as Iran Air reportedly operates an average of 24 weekly flights each way to at least nine European cities, including Paris, London, Frankfurt, and Rome, according to information obtained by Aviacionline via Cirium.

Iran Air is accused by the US Treasury of having transported goods "on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL)."

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday strongly condemned the "unusual" statement by the E3 regarding the cancellation of bilateral air service agreements with Iran and sanctions against Iran Air, saying it will be met with a reciprocal response from Iran. Nasser Kanaani once again denied the West's claim about Iran selling ballistic missiles to Russia, calling it baseless and false.

E3's response to Iran's missile shipments

Earlier Tuesday, France, Britain and Germany said they "will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia."

Britain separately announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran and Russia, adding seven designations under its Iran sanctions regime and three under its Russia regime. Some of those sanctioned include firms and entities with ties to the drone industries in Russia and Iran including Iran's Anzali Free Zone Organization as well as Baharestan Kish, Chekad Sanat Faraz and Saad Sazeh Faraz Sharif companies. Two of the companies, Britain said, are involved in producing parts for the drones supplied to Russia.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday the country could cut its ties with Tehran if Russia uses Iranian missiles in war. "I will not say now exactly what is meant by devastating consequences, so as not to weaken our diplomatic position. But I can say that all options, including the one you mentioned (cutting diplomatic relations with Iran), are on the table. If this transfer indeed happened, and if the fact of usage gets recorded - and believe me, it will become public once it has happened - then, there will be consequences," Heorhiy Tykhyi said.

Headache for Iran's new administration

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed in a press conference earlier in the day that "Russia has now received shipments with these ballistic missiles, and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukraine."

"Iran’s new president and foreign minister repeatedly said that they want to restore engagement with Europe, they want to receive sanctions relief. Destabilizing actions like these achieve exactly the opposite," Blinken noted.

Iran’s executive branch of power has very little say in foreign policy and defense. Strategic decisions, such as a full support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine, are made by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in consultation with his close aides and the top brass of the Revolutionary Guard.

The consequences of such decisions, however, will be borne almost entirely by ordinary Iranians and the administrations, which have to manage the day-to-day affairs of the state.

Former IDF combat commander in Lebanon and Gaza, Lt.- Col (ret) Jonathan Conricus, told Iran International in an interview that Israel needs to hold the Islamic Republic responsible.

"Israel has an interest and should be taking the war to Iran. I think the Israeli strategy should be very clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for directly funding and arming terrorist organizations that are killing Israelis," said Conricus.

The next time that one of Iran-backed proxies strike Israel, Conricus would like to see Israel retaliate directly against the Islamic Republic. That would include options like Iran's facilities, military, strategic infrastructure, and the government.

“All of the targets are kosher and, on the table, and they will be attacked by Israel because Iran has been aggressive against Israel for so long."

He made it clear that Iranian people are not Israel's enemy and that civilians should not be targeted.

For years, Israel's strategy has been one to retaliate against Iranian proxies without directly involving Iran. Israel is believed to have disrupted Iran’s nuclear ambitions by going after various facilities and scientists. It likely has strong intelligence on Tehran’s nuclear weapons program, which has increased its total stockpile of highly enriched nuclear fuel and is reportedly close to becoming a nuclear power.

In an interview with Iran International, the former IDF spokesperson said Israel's current strategy of dealing with Iran's proxies while trying to undermine its nuclear ambitions is not working, but Iran's plan has proven to work.

"I'm sad to admit it," said Conricus, "But the Iranian strategy of encircling Israel with terrorist organizations and fighting a war of attrition is working for Iran, and they are not paying the price for their aggression."

Conricus, who is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), would like Israel to change the equation and formulate a comprehensive national strategy that has economic, political, and military components, which would undermine Iran's ruling system. He wants Israel to take a leadership role in that fight.

"The people are not our enemy, but the Islamic Republic regime, the Revolutionary Guard, the Basij, the secret police and the evil, oppressive regime of Iran..weaken them. And when an opportunity comes also to help brave Iranians fight against the regime.”

Iran planting the seeds for a new front?

Israeli's Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted to X on Monday "The Iranian terror octopus is working to establish an eastern terror front against Israel and moderate states in the region. We must cut off the octopus's tentacles."

Katz was referring to the escalation in the West Bank, also known Judea and Samaria in Israel, where violence has increased, and recent videos posted to social media show armed militants with ISIS and Hamas flags.

Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, a journalist and analyst who covers Israeli news and politics, posted to X on Monday a photo that was reportedly taken in Jenin where terrorist organizations allegedly run the refugee camps.

He posted that the image was from a funeral in the city. He wrote that "Sources in the army said, "We will find those in these pictures and get to them eventually." But more operations are just a band-aid. The answer is to bring governance back to Jenin, Tulkarem, and other cities where the PA has lost its grip. Otherwise, the rest of the cities of the West Bank will all look like this eventually.

Conricus, who served in the IDF for 24 years, said there’s been a slow and steady escalation of terrorism in the region. Jihadi sentiments existed before the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the key difference now is the increased availability of weapons. These weapons, allegedly originating from Iran, are funneled through Iraq and Syria and smuggled via Jordan, a US ally.

The former IDF spokesperson said the Palestinian Authority can't control it, and that in the last three weeks, five Palestinian suicide bombers were dispatched, with two of them detonating prematurely, while the other cases were thwarted.

“The Palestinian Authority, if you listen to their communications in Arabic and in English, they speak about the Iranians. They say that they're seeing Iranian influence in Judea and Samaria,” said Conricus.

Three Israeli civilians were killed in a shooting at the Allenby Crossing on the border between the West Bank and Jordan, Israeli authorities said Sunday.

The gunman, from Jordan, carried out the attack in a commercial cargo area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks offload cargo entering the West Bank, officials said.

The IDF is also investigating after a young Turkish American woman, Aysenur Eygi, was shot and killed in the West Bank on Friday, according to US and Palestinian officials, while she was taking part in a protest near Nablus.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said the West Bank and Jordan have the “Iranian target on their backs."

Iran is reportedly working to destabilize the Kingdom and capitalize on the sympathies many in the West Bank have towards civilians in Gaza, and to arm them to create more fronts in the "ring of fire" against Israel.

It’s all part of Tehran strategy of a slow “death by a thousand cuts” approach towards Isarel according to Taleblu.

Israeli PM: the situation in the north must change

Over to the north, the likelihood of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructing the Israeli military on Sunday to prepare to “change the situation in the North.”

National Unity party leader Benny Gantz, who left Netanyahu’s government in June, warned that the conflict may be imminent, saying it is already unfolding “too late.”

US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel on Sunday for meetings with senior Israeli security officials in a visit focused on threats from Hezbollah and Iran.

Since October 7, Hezbollah has launched daily attacks against Northern Israel – employing rockets, anti-tank missiles, and explosive UAVs at both military and civilian targets.

Hezbollah has reportedly as many as 150,000 missiles and rockets pointed at Israel.

Seventy thousand Northern Israelis, living within a 5-kilometer radius of the Lebanon border, evacuated after October 7 and remain displaced within their own country. While Hezbollah initially targeted these "ghost town" areas, the Iran-backed group is now increasingly focusing on non-evacuated zones, escalating the conflict in more populated regions.

Israel Channel 12, citing Israeli security sources, said that the war with Hezbollah is “approaching."

Taleblu, who specializes in Iranian security, told Iran International it’s too early to tell whether Lebanon will get dragged into a larger scale war with Israel.

“Israel is facing something of a multi-front war brought to you by the Islamic Republic. But ultimately, based on how the response to the escalation goes, if the Islamic Republic doubles down, if it brings in more weapons transfers, more technology, or if it tries to respond again, it certainly does have the potential to spiral,” he said.

For many Northerners, they're already facing a war, but Hezbollah's strategy, said Conricus is to “keep this situation of instability, where Israel is split between dealing with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

The number of rockets has increased and so too has the range. And it’s all about a balancing act.

“They [Hezbollah] have to escalate incrementally, but they must be careful not to escalate too much,” said Conricus, who emphasized that too much escalation would trigger an Israeli response that would not be to Hezbollah's benefit.

Another front: Syria

Israel launched strikes on military sites in Syria on Sunday, reportedly killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, according to Syrian state media.

The ariel strikes took place in Western Syria at 4 different locations, which are believed to be bases for Iranian forces and militia, housing what’s known as the Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), allegedly producing weapons.

Israel claims the CERS manufactures precise surface-to-surface missiles. Israel’s Alma, an institute focused on threats to northern Israel, has revealed in a detailed report that the CERS manufactures chemical, biological, and potentially nuclear weapons”.

Conricus said it’s believed there may have been an attempt by Iran to deliver the weapons to Hezbollah, but that Israel intercepted those weapons before they could be sent.

The Islamic Republic responded by blaming Israel, with the country's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani saying at a news conference in Tehran Monday "we strongly condemn this criminal attack by the Zionist regime on Syrian soil."

Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran, but the intensity of Sunday's strike and death toll was significant.

The former IDF commander said those facilities have been struck in the past and he sees only one path forward as a solution:

“We can defeat Hamas and then defeat Hezbollah but if we don't deal with the root cause of instability and terrorism in the Middle East. We won't solve our problems long term. It's high time for Israel to change its strategy against the Islamic Republic of Iran."