By Emran | 2024-12-30

As Iranians voice increasing dissatisfaction with their government, engaging in protests inside the country and abroad, the regime has intensified its efforts to suppress and silence critics.

Domestic suppression tactics include arrests, imprisonment, torture and even executions. Outside the country, the regime uses intimidation and threats to target its opponents, killing over 360 individuals in 40 countries since 1978.

In March, Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in a London suburb by members of a criminal gang reportedly hired by the Iranian regime.

To control dissent inside Iran, the regime employs internet filtering systems.

A "digital army" operating under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) monitors the online activities of Iranians, tracks them through social media and controls the content they can see.

And it works to instill fear among Iranian dissidents abroad, using social media accounts that impersonate journalists and political activists to identify and monitor individuals who share views aligned with these figures.

It threatens dissidents living abroad by pressuring them to return to Iran or targeting their family members in the country.

Losing control

Iranians who spoke to Pishtaz said the regime's repressive apparatus is losing its effectiveness as people find new ways to make their voices heard.

"Nowhere in the world is the internet and digital space as restricted as in Iran," said Mashhad resident Alireza, 28, using only his first name.

"To maintain its tyranny and power, the regime employs every form of restriction and pressure against the people."

Yet these pressures "have failed to silence the cries for justice from the Iranian people," he said, adding that the regime's use of fear tactics and imposition of restrictions has lost its impact.

"No matter how hard the Islamic Republic tries, it cannot stop the people," said Mashad resident Javad, 35, also using only his first name.

"The pressures imposed by the Islamic Republic have only strengthened the unity and solidarity of the Iranian people against the system," he said.

"Although enduring the oppression and pressures of the Islamic Republic is incredibly difficult, our people have proven they will not bow to the regime’s tyranny and terror."

"Iranians today are not the same as 40 years ago. They will no longer simply watch the regime’s oppression but actively resist and fight back."

The regime spends enormous sums to silence its critics and opponents worldwide, Türkiye based human rights activist Jafar Mirzaei told Pishtaz.

"In recent years, we have witnessed the Islamic Republic luring some of its critics back to Iran through deceit. Once back, they face fabricated charges, with some being executed and others imprisoned," Mirzaei said.