Rights organizations state that the detentions form a coordinated attempt to prevent demonstrations commemorating one year since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising engulfed the Islamic Republic.
Iran seems to be taking action to apprehend activists as part of a pre-anniversary crackdown linked to the widespread protests that had a profound impact on the nation.
According to local news agencies and rights organizations, authorities in the Islamic Republic apprehended a minimum of twelve women's rights activists on Wednesday.
Rights groups suggest that these arrests are a deliberate attempt to prevent demonstrations that would commemorate the one-year anniversary of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, which had a significant impact on the Islamic Republic.
In an effort to regain control after the occasionally violent protests that presented the most significant challenge to the religious establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the government is striving to quell dissent and reinstate strict dress codes.
Recent days have witnessed a heightened presence of security forces on the streets of the capital, Tehran. Further north, in the Caspian Sea province of Gilan, the semi-official Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported the apprehension of 12 individuals on Wednesday.
Referring to information from the regional intelligence office, the news agencies mentioned that the detained individuals were "a group associated with foreign entities, actively planning and attempting to incite unrest and acts of vandalism on the anniversary of last year's autumn protests."
The intelligence office stated that the members of this "team" had a track record of involvement in various anti-security actions during the protests last year. The news agencies reported that they were accused of attempting to "mobilize" individuals who had previously taken part in protests, including "certain youth."
According to Tasnim and Fars, the intelligence office mentioned, "They were actively working towards creating circumstances that could lead to turmoil and instability in Gilan Province and specific areas in Kurdistan Province."
No individuals among those arrested were identified, and the precise accusations against them were not provided.
The Human Rights Activists in Iran, a non-governmental organization dedicated to monitoring human rights in the Islamic Republic, also stated on Friday that a minimum of 13 individuals had been apprehended in Gilan. "The specific rationales behind their detentions, their current whereabouts, and the exact charges leveled against them all remain undisclosed at this moment," the group declared on its website.
In an email to NBC News, the organization confirmed that 12 women and one man had been arrested in Gilan. Skylar Thompson, the director of global advocacy and accountability for the group, remarked, "It vividly portrays a regime deeply troubled by the potential for renewed protests, preemptively taking measures to suppress any potential resurgence of popular unrest."
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, expressed her concern on Thursday via X, formerly known as Twitter, regarding the apprehension of women's rights defenders in Iran. She further noted that the families of these defenders are unaware of their whereabouts and the charges against them.
Lawlor emphasized, "Iranian authorities must promptly release them and cease the persecution of women's rights advocates."
The intensified enforcement action occurs roughly a month ahead of the anniversary of the widespread protests that reverberated across the nation. These protests were ignited by the passing of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini, who died following her detention by the influential morality police in Tehran. Her apprehension was purportedly due to an alleged breach of the Islamic Republic's stringent dress code.
As the protests gained momentum, women and girls boldly discarded their headscarves in public, and individuals worldwide exhibited solidarity by sharing videos of them cutting their hair. What initially began as a surge of anger transformed into a broader movement against the government. Despite ongoing human rights concerns and economic challenges, a forceful crackdown has largely suppressed the unrest.
In the subsequent months following Amini's passing, thousands of demonstrators throughout the nation were apprehended, and it's estimated that over 500 individuals lost their lives, as reported by both the U.N. and Iran Human Rights, an organization dedicated to tracking these upheavals. Some protesters have faced public executions.
In March, Iran announced that more than 22,000 individuals detained during the protests had been pardoned by the country's supreme leader.
In the previous month, Iranian authorities initiated a new campaign to enforce the wearing of the Islamic headscarf, with the morality police once again patrolling the streets. Additionally, Iran's parliament is examining a proposed bill that could result in heightened penalties for women who resist wearing the hijab.
Several prominent Iranian figures, including renowned actors and filmmakers, have also been apprehended for expressing solidarity with the protesters and voicing criticism of the government's crackdown.
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