Tehran set to implement law expanding death penalty to online offenses
Iran is poised to implement a new anti-espionage law expanding government control over social media and online activity which could expand the death penalty for internet speech.
Iran is poised to implement a new anti-espionage law expanding government control over social media and online activity which could expand the death penalty for internet speech.
The text of the law, which was published by the moderate outlet Entekhab on Wednesday, details sharp new penalties for alleged national security offenses online.
"The fabrication or dissemination of false reports, or the creation or publication of any content that typically causes public fear and panic or is contrary to national security, shall—if not constituting the crime of corruption on earth—be punishable, at the court’s discretion, by third-degree imprisonment," it said.
Corruption on earth is a formal charge in Iran's theocracy which carries the death penalty. It has long been invoked in Islamic Revolutionary courts to win death penalty convictions of political prisoners.
Third-degree imprisonment refers to 10 to 15-year terms.
The law's wording equates dissemination of fear-inducing content with crimes such as manufacturing explosives or weapons, both of which can carry the death penalty.
"The sending of videos, images or information to foreign networks, media outlets, or social media pages, if deemed contrary to national security—and similarly, the sending of such materials to hostile networks, media outlets, or pages—shall, unless subject to a more severe punishment, be punishable ... by fifth-degree imprisonment," it added, referring 2-5 years in prison.
'Hostile' states
Formally titled "The Intensification of Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile States Against National Security and Interests," the law was passed by parliament in late June following a 12-day war pitting Iran against Israel and the United States in June.
The United States and Israel are explicitly defined as hostile states, and any contact, activity, or content connected to them is considered an act against Iran’s national interests, subject to the death penalty.
The Guardian Council, the 12-member body of clerics and jurists that vets Iran’s legislation and elections, initially sent the bill back in July citing ambiguities.
After revisions, it approved the law last week, saying it no longer conflicted with Islamic law or the constitution.
The parliament speaker on Tuesday referred the bill to Iran’s president for implementation, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
The legislation was first introduced following a surprise Israeli air campaign in June that exposed Tehran's intelligence failures and killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians.
Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile salvoes.
Iranian authorities later announced the arrest of hundreds of people accused of spying for Israel and the United States, executing several.
Starlink
The use of Starlink or other unauthorized satellite internet services for personal purposes is explicitly banned and punishable by six months to two years in prison.
"The use, possession, purchase, sale, or import of unlicensed electronic, internet, or satellite communication devices—such as Starlink—for personal use is prohibited and punishable by sixth-degree imprisonment, with the equipment to be confiscated," it says.
"If any of these actions are committed with the intent to act against the system or for espionage, and the perpetrator is deemed to be an enemy agent, the punishment is death," it added. "Otherwise, if the act does not constitute corruption on earth, enmity against God, or a more severe offense, it is punishable by fourth-degree imprisonment," or 5-10 years.
The bill instructs the ministry of intelligence to publicly identify hostile networks, media outlets and online accounts within one month of the law’s ratification and to update the list at least every six months.
The incident had not previously been reported.
Hooman Kiani, a student at Isfahan University of Applied Science and Technology, was returning home with a friend when their car came under fire from Basij forces, a volunteer militia under Iran’s Revolutionary Guards according to the Amir Kabir Newsletter.
“Around 11 PM, their car was stopped at a checkpoint in the Mardavij neighborhood,” the newsletter quoted a family member as saying.
“The driver stopped a little late, and the officers opened fire without any warning. Two bullets struck Hooman in the lungs and liver, and his friend was hit in the leg.”
The report said Kiani was taken to Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan, where doctors performed surgery, but he did not survive his injuries.
"Emergency staff began resuscitation efforts and Hooman underwent surgery, but due to extensive bleeding and severe liver damage, he went into cardiac arrest and lost his life" the family member said.
Amir Kabir Newsletter also published a copy of Kiani’s official burial permit issued by Isfahan’s Legal Medicine Organization, which listed the cause of death as “hemorrhagic shock,” “injury to the liver and lungs” and a “gunshot wound,” with the date of death recorded as June 15, 2025.
The newsletter added the family has demanded an explanation from authorities over why Basij forces “fired directly at the car” and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
In a similar incident during the 12 day war, guards at a military base in the central Iranian city of Khomein mistakenly opened fire on two civilian vehicles, killing four people on July 17. State media said the shooters were arrested and a judicial investigation was launched.
In another earlier incident, on July 2, two young men were shot dead by the Islamic Republic's security forces outside Hamedan in western Iran.
Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that personnel opened fire on their vehicle near the Tareek-Darreh area after suspecting it of drone-related activity.