Officials of Iran's Basij militia can be heard on a leaked recording weighing the risk of a new round of protests and the danger that members will be identified online, a rare glimpse of the anxiety inside the force the state sends against demonstrators. In the audio recording of a closed meeting of the Media and Cyberspace Headquarters in Pakdasht, Tehran province, officials discuss possible new demonstrations, the online identification of Basij members and plans to track anti-government activity and individuals on social media. The meeting was held amid recent developments including the killing of Hamidreza Rajabzadeh, a Basij member and government-aligned religious singer, as well as growing concern among officials over the role and influence of social media.
The meeting was held amid recent developments including the killing of Hamidreza Rajabzadeh, a Basij member and government-aligned religious singer, as well as growing concern among officials over the role and influence of social media. The Media and Cyberspace Headquarters is made up of cyber personnel and government supporters operating under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards. The concerns raised at the meeting echoed recent remarks by Ebrahim Garmabdari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Pakdasht, who said government opponents were using sanctions, infiltration and social media to target the Islamic Republic’s governing structure.
Earlier this week, Iran’s supreme leader appointed Hossein Taeb, a veteran intelligence official, to lead the Basij paramilitary forces, giving the former protest crackdown figure a mandate to expand the paramilitary force’s grassroots intelligence network and use of new technologies. Participants of the meeting raised concerns about mounting social and psychological pressure on government-aligned forces. Referring to Rajabzadeh’s recent killing, the meeting’s lead speaker described the incident as a warning that pro-government figures could be targeted both offline and online.
He said the pressure was intended to make Basij members, mosque clerics and local base commanders regret or feel ashamed of their affiliation, potentially pushing them to adopt opposition views to avoid social rejection. Earlier in the meeting, a participant identified as Mr. Shahbazi said the underlying tensions had not subsided and warned that public protests against the government and confrontation with security forces could continue. (Ed note: The BASIJ is the group that during the last Iranian uprising, rode around on their motorcycles, attacking the civilians in the streets, killing them at will. They also went into the hospitals and shot the wounded, or drug them out into the street and shot them.) (Read More)
