ICC Note: Iran’s “anatomy of suppression” is heavily layered and complicated. Each layer, however, is filled with purpose that can provide insight into the sophistication Iran has developed in crushing dissent. This includes arresting Christians, whose faith is viewed as a threat to the Islamic nation’s national security. In this article, Radio Farda takes a close look at the different levels of Iran’s suppressive regime.

08/28/2018 Iran (Radio Farda) –  It remains to be seen if this latest round of protests in Iran will continue to gain momentum or not. One thing is for certain, the Islamic Republic is skilled at “managing” a discontented populous—opposition activists call it suppression. What are the coercive tools and mechanisms used in Iran to silence dissent?

There have been five major waves of unrest in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, three within the last decade. All were quashed by the regime. Of those within the last ten years, the first was the post-election protests of 2009, then the nationwide protests beginning in December last year, and recently the post-sanctions wave.

Looking at the evidence from all five major episodes of protests, it is clear that regime forces that suppress dissent are multi-layered and multi-dimensional. After each round of unrest, the organization, methods, and the means used have become more sophisticated.

The system that counters protests in Iran is not made up of just the police and official law enforcement. It encompasses paramilitary forces, intelligence organs, operations units, judicial organs, media, the propaganda machinery, and even financial structures.

First layer: Intelligence

As in other authoritarian countries, the Islamic Republic’s first line of defense against opponents is intelligence.

Studying thousands of legal cases brought against Iran’s dissidents in the last three decades shows various intelligence agencies untiringly collecting information on critics and opponents of the regime. In some cases, even before a protest takes place authorities arrest the organizers.

The Islamic Republic officially acknowledges the existence of 16 different intelligence organizations, each with a different role in suppressing dissent.

There are four that have been particularly active in the last decade. The Intelligence Ministry, The Islamic Republic Police Intelligence Unit, the Justice Department’s counter-intelligence, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization.

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