Exclusive; Details of the Intelligence Ministry's Case Against Six Civil Activists

As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and nationwide protests in Iran approaches, pressure on civil and political activists and the creation of cases against them by security and judicial officials of the Islamic Republic has intensified. A source informed the Persian section of Voice of America reported that a joint case has been opened by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC against six constitutionalist civil activists, four of whom are currently in prison, at the third branch of the Evin Prosecutor's Office, with charges of 'gathering and collusion' and 'propaganda against the regime.' According to the informed source, among these six civil and political activists, 'Ali-Asghar Hosseini-Rad, residing in Tehran, was arrested on August 9' and 'Meisam Gholami from Kabudarahang, Hamadan, was arrested on August 11,' both in Mazandaran. Additionally, Vahid Sarkhgol from Kermanshah was arrested on Wednesday, August 18, after being summoned to the third branch of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Kermanshah, and simultaneously, Vahid Qadirzadeh was arrested 'during a raid by IRGC intelligence agents at his father's house.' Kazem Ali-Nejad from Tabriz is also another defendant in this joint case. In this context, Arsham Rezai, a human rights activist, announced in a tweet that based on a notification sent on August 15 for Vahid Sarkhgol, he is the sixth person in this case. Arsham Rezai deemed the attribution of the charges of 'gathering and collusion with the intent to act against internal and external security' and 'propaganda against the regime' mentioned in this notification as 'baseless and unfounded.' This civil activist also announced on Sunday in a tweet that judicial and security officials have transferred political prisoner Ali-Asghar Hosseini-Rad from Evin Prison to the psychiatric hospital 'Aminabad.' Furthermore, reports circulated on social media indicate that Donya Hosseini, a civil activist residing in Tehran, was arrested by security officials on August 21 and transferred to an unknown location. Additionally, news sources reported that Arash Ghanbari, a former political prisoner, was re-arrested on August 11 after visiting the Intelligence Office in Shahreza, Isfahan Province, to retrieve his mobile phone. Reports indicate that his sister, Shahnaz Ghanbari, was also arrested. Continuing the pressure on civil activists, the informed source told Voice of America that new restrictions have been imposed on some political prisoners, including Mahbubeh Rezai and Reza Mohammadi, such as blocking some of their relatives' numbers from their phone cards, limiting their ability to contact the outside world. In this regard, Yashar Tabrizi, a civil activist, recently reported the 'disconnection of phone and shopping cards' of several prisoners, including Zartosht Ahmadiraghb, Mehdi Maskin-Nava, and Mohsen Ghiyasi, 'by order of the Ministry of Intelligence, the Disciplinary Council, and the head of the prison.' As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police approaches, other reports have also emerged regarding the summoning and threatening of civil activists and the families of the bereaved. Student sources have also reported the summoning and threatening of protesting students, deeming this action by security and protective officials as a means to 'create terror.'