12 Arrested by the IRGC on Charges of 'Promoting Cultural Corruption'

The Fajr Corps of the IRGC in Fars Province announced that it has arrested 12 individuals on charges of 'promoting cultural corruption in cyberspace' and has also placed several models and clothing designers under judicial pursuit. The announcement from the Fajr Corps on Wednesday, June 9, was reflected in the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), stating that the arrested individuals are 'main actors of the Spider Project.' The 'Spider Project' is a term used by the IRGC to justify the arrest of dozens of social media users and internet activists, accusing them of 'promoting corruption' and attempting to 'change the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle.' The Fajr Corps' announcement stated that '20 locations and businesses such as studios, boutiques, and clothing designers have turned into places promoting corruption and prostitution, producing and disseminating vulgar and immoral images of families and individuals in cyberspace.' The announcement further adds that the security forces of the Fajr Corps, through intelligence actions and monitoring the activities of this network, arrested 12 individuals following a judicial order and closed these businesses. Earlier in late May, the IRGC had also reported identifying 170 individuals managing modeling pages on social media and arresting eight of them during 'Spider Project 2.' The Fajr Corps' statement continued: 'Some members of this network have been invited to certain Gulf countries for training, where they received training in areas such as hairstyling and clothing design, and proceeded to produce vulgar images, clips, and films in some studios.' This military organization also accused several detainees of having connections with 'foreigners,' stating that they 'fell into the trap of foreign elements and cultural infiltration projects and received tens of thousands of dollars under the guise of charity organizations for designing and executing projects promoting corruption in the country.' Previously, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, referred to cyberspace as a 'real battlefield' and stated that 'clergymen and students must be armed and ready to confront doubts and erroneous and deviant thoughts.'