Ambiguity Surrounds the Fate of Several Detained Citizens; IRGC: They Were 'Monarchists'

Four days after reports of the detention of a group of citizens by the IRGC's intelligence organization, Iranian officials have yet to release more details about the identities of those arrested. The public relations office of the IRGC 'Sahib al-Amr' in Qazvin province claimed in a statement on Thursday, December 22, that it had 'dismantled' an 'anti-security' network of the Islamic Republic and arrested individuals in this regard. The IRGC's intelligence organization alleged that the detainees were 'engaged in destructive activities against security' and 'affiliated with monarchist groups.' According to this statement published by the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency, these citizens were arrested by the 'intelligence network of the IRGC in the provinces of Qazvin and Isfahan.' Simultaneously, the Telegram channel 'Saberin News,' also linked to the IRGC, announced that several monarchist citizens had been detained in the provinces of Mazandaran, Kerman, Isfahan, and Qazvin. The government-affiliated Tasnim news agency, another IRGC media outlet, also stated that 'this network was active in several provinces.' Previously, numerous citizen reports had circulated on social media about anti-government graffiti in support of the Pahlavi kings and Prince Reza Pahlavi in various cities across Iran. In recent days, an image of a young woman wearing a chador holding a placard with the slogan 'Long Live the Shah' in Tehran was published, and some unofficial news sources later reported that this protesting citizen was violently arrested by government forces. Additionally, in recent days, Iranian intelligence forces detained three constitutional activists—Sohrab Hassan Khani, Masoud Vazifeh, and Mojtaba Ebrahimi—who had staged a sit-in and hunger strike in protest against the death sentence issued for six defendants in the well-known 'Akbatān children' case in front of the Human Rights Organization of the Judiciary. Furthermore, previously, political prisoners Reza Mohammad Hosseini, Arsham Rezaei, and Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, in a message from prison coinciding with World Human Rights Day, described the Islamic Republic as a human rights violator and stated that the downfall of Bashar al-Assad should serve as a lesson for 'Khamenei's dictatorship.' Reza Mohammad Hosseini and Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, in another message, emphasized the role of the Islamic Republic in 'warmongering and supporting terrorism' in the region, asserting that 'great changes' in Iran are within reach. Prince Reza Pahlavi had previously stated in a message that, at the request of the 'great nation of Iran,' he is ready 'to lead change and guide the transition period,' emphasizing to the Iranian people that 'my power comes from your strength.'