{"id":2851,"date":"2020-12-22T19:37:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-22T19:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/en\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2025-05-11T08:05:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T08:05:51","slug":"fatawatch-july-september-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2020\/12\/22\/fatawatch-july-september-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"FATAwatch: July \u2013 September 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the third quarter of this year (July to September 2020) Iranian authorities continued to restrict and violate the fundamental rights of Iranian internet users through continued arrest and prosecution. While Iran\u2019s Cyber Police (FATA) and the Judiciary both played major roles in restricting and threatening online freedoms, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces also played a more active role in investigating and prosecuting individuals for their online activities. We saw an increase in charges on the basis of \u2018espionage\u2019 and \u2018threats to national security\u2019 during this quarter. These charges are both broad, vague, and are used to criminalise and prosecute any activity deemed to be critical of the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In September, Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed was sentenced to over four years imprisonment relating to posts on his social media. Ruhollah Zam, the administrator of the popular anti-government Telegram news channel, AmadNews, lost his appeal in Iran\u2019s Supreme Court and his death sentence was upheld.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instagram remained under heavy scrutiny from authorities throughout this quarter, although on the basis of reported arrests it appears that law enforcement may have refocused their efforts away from cracking down on \u2018influencers\u2019. Instead, there were more reports of action being taken against users selling \u2018unauthorised goods\u2019 through the platform, as well as users who were accused of live streaming \u2018immoral content\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Concerning reports also emerged about the declining mental and physical health of a number of prisoners charged with threatening \u2018national security\u2019 through their online activities, including writer and director Mariam Ebrahimvand who is currently serving her sentence in the country\u2019s notorious Evin Prison. Furthermore, a number of these prisoners have been struggling to access appropriate medical treatment including political prisoner Samaneh Norouz Moradi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

July 2020<\/span><\/h3>\n

During this quarter a number of arrests were made for charges of \u2018espionage against national security and attempted breach of peace through cyberspace\u2019, as well as \u2018contact with foreign networks\u2019 and \u2018online activism\u2019. The increased use of these extremely broad charges, which can result in long prison sentences or even the death penalty are a serious concern, especially as it appears that the charges are being exploited to curb any attempts at exercising\u00a0 freedom of expression online and criticism towards the government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to an announcement by the IRGC on <\/span>17 July<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 an unspecified number of people were arrested by their forces in Khorasan Razavi Province for \u2018encouraging assembly and protest\u2019 along with other charges such as \u2018espionage against national security and attempted breach of peace through cyberspace\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>22 July<\/span><\/a> the FATA Chief for Eastern Azerbaijan Province reported the arrest of two \u2018cybercriminal\u2019 sisters who attempted to livestream \u2018immoral content\u2019 on Instagram. No further information is available about the nature of this content.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview on <\/span>25 July<\/span><\/a> Colonel Ramin Pashaei, Social Affairs Deputy for FATA Police announced that \u2018an individual who launched a \u201ctruth or dare challenge\u201d through Instagram in order to lure in young children and teenagers was closely investigated by cyberspace experts and was arrested\u2019. No further information was provided about the aim of the online \u2018challenge\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the FATA Chief for Mazandaran Province on <\/span>29 July<\/span><\/a> a number of people were arrested for inciting and promoting violence online on social media and on channels operating out of Mazandaran province.<\/span><\/p>\n

August 2020<\/span><\/h3>\n

In August, a number of arrests were made relating to activities on Instagram. On <\/span>2 August <\/span><\/a>the\u00a0 FATA Chief for Ardabil Province announced that at least six administrators for channels and webpages selling and modelling \u2018unsuitable\u2019 clothing were identified. He added that these individuals \u2018published immoral and vulgar photos and attempted to advertise and sell clothing incompatible with Islamic values\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>15 August<\/span><\/a> the FATA Chief for Yazd Province announced that an arrest had been made\u00a0 relating to the publication of \u2018immoral content\u2019 on Instagram. No further details were available about the nature of this content.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to an announcement by the IRGC on <\/span>17 August<\/span><\/a> an individual with Turkish citizenship was arrested in Hamedan province for publishing photos \u2018glorifying thugs and dangerous individuals online in order to create insecurity in society\u2019 on Instagram.\u00a0 The FATA Chief for Ardabil province announced that a person was arrested on <\/span>24 August<\/span><\/a> for attempting to sell alcohol via their Instagram page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also in <\/span>24 August<\/span><\/a> it was reported that the health of political prisoner, Samaneh Norouz Moradi, who is serving her three years and nine months sentence inside the country\u2019s notorious Evin prison on charges of \u2018supporting anti-government groups through online activities\u2019 has been declining and she has reportedly been diagnosed with lupus and a chest infection. Despite three doctors outside the prison confirming that she is unfit to complete her prison sentence, the doctors inside Evin prison have disagreed with the other medical opinions, therefore her case has not been recommended for further review.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>late August<\/span><\/a> Gholamhossein Esmaeili announced that the Iranian dissident Ruhollah Zam \u2013 the administrator of the popular anti-government Telegram news channel, AmadNews \u2013 who had been sentenced to death in <\/span>June<\/span><\/a> for charges amounting to \u2018spreading corruption on earth\u2019\u00a0 had lost the appeal of his appeal in the country\u2019s Supreme Court and his death sentence was being upheld.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

September 2020<\/span><\/h3>\n

During the final month of this quarter, alongside a number of arrests for online activities, further worrying news on the worsening conditions of imprisoned online activists also made headlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>2 September<\/span><\/a>, Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment, alongside a two year ban from working as a journalist, and confiscation of his work equipment by Branch 26 of Tehran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Court. Mosaed\u2019s was charged with \u2018<\/span> \u201ccolluding against national security\u201d and \u201cspreading propaganda against the system,\u201d<\/span><\/a> \u2019. Mosaed\u2019s charges and sentence are connected to his\u00a0 previous two arrests, the<\/span> first<\/span><\/a> which happened last year for tweeting about the November 2019 protests and the Internet shutdown, the <\/span>second<\/span><\/a> earlier this year, in connection with his social media posts criticising the government\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>18 September<\/span><\/a> Alireza Kheiri, an Architecture student at Azad University who was arrested around a year ago for being a member of an anti-government Telegram channel was transferred to Tehran prison to begin serving his two year sentence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also on <\/span>18 September<\/span><\/a>, Elahe Jabari, who was arrested for \u2018online activism\u2019 and \u2018anti-government activities\u2019 via Instagram and Twitter, was transferred from a detention centre for \u2018one of the security forces\u2019 to Evin prison. On <\/span>19 September<\/span><\/a> it was reported that writer and director, Mariam Ebrahimvand, who is being held in Evin prison attempted suicide and was trasnferred to a hospital in Tehran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ebrahimvand was arrested by IRGC intelligence officers in September 2016 and was eventually transferred to Evin prison last year. She has been accused of \u2018publishing false information with the intention of disrupting public peace\u2019 on her personal Instagram page and \u2018production of obscene movies\u2019 for producing the film \u201824 September\u2019 on the stampede of pilgrims in 2015 in Mina, Saudi Arabia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The FATA Chief for Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province,<\/span> reported<\/span><\/a> that four people were arrested in connection with the abuse of a government employee on Instagram in the city of Boroujen. Another individual was <\/span>arrested<\/span><\/a> in the capital city of Tehran for \u2018promoting immoral content\u2019 online. The FATA Chief for East Azerbaijan also <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that an individual who had launched various \u2018challenges\u2019, including receiving \u2018inappropriate\u2019 photos through his Instagram page, was identified and arrested.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>12 September<\/span><\/a> it was reported that an individual was arrested for \u2018blasphemy\u2019 by security forces in the Province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. According to reports from a source inside the IRGC the individual was arrested for \u2018insulting the prophet\u2019s daughter online\u2019. Two days later on <\/span>14 September<\/span><\/a> the FATA Police Chief for Kermanshah Province reported the arrest of the administrator of an \u2018immoral channel\u2019. Also in September in Kurdistan Province it was <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that four people were arrested following \u2018online patrols and observation by FATA experts\u2019 connected to the publication of \u2018immoral movies\u2019 on Instagram.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Deputy for Social Affairs at FATA Police, Ramin Pashaei, announced that on <\/span>12 September <\/span><\/a>two people were arrested for \u2018disturbing public opinion\u2019 following the filming and publication of a video of a student fainting in school. According to Pashaei, the video claimed that the student had \u2018fainted due to COVID-19\u2019. Pashaei commented that according to their investigations the student \u2018did not have COVID-19\u2019 and that the video was used to spread anxiety among the public following the re-opening of schools in September.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On <\/span>19 September<\/span><\/a> a judiciary official for the city of Qom announced that during the last 10 months, 105 people in Qom were arrested, had their social media accounts removed, and were referred to the judiciary for publishing \u2018immoral content online\u2019. He added that the majority of these \u2018crimes\u2019 took place on Instagram, including modelling and the sale of drugs and alcohol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the third quarter of this year (July to September 2020) Iranian authorities continued to restrict and violate the fundamental rights of Iranian internet users through continued arrest and prosecution. While Iran\u2019s Cyber Police (FATA) and the Judiciary both played major roles in restricting and threatening online freedoms, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forcesContinue reading \"FATAwatch: July \u2013 September 2020\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyber-threat-reports","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}