Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Threatens Security Forces to Crack Down on Economic and Labor Protests

The spokesman for Iran's judiciary warned about what he described as the "exploitation" of labor and economic protests by the U.S. and Israel, threatening that security agencies would deal with "norm violators" and protests that "disturb the security of the country." According to Iranian news agencies, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Sunday, June 6, that the U.S. and Israel are currently "making a lot of noise" against Iran. He urged families to "be careful" with their children so they do not fall for the psychological warfare allegedly initiated by Israeli and American security services. The judiciary spokesman also called on organizers of protests to "be cautious so that opportunists, terrorists, exiled counter-revolutionaries, and their supporters" do not exploit their gatherings for their own benefit. Mohseni Ejei threatened that judicial, law enforcement, and security agencies are "fully alert, aware of the situation, and decisive" and will confront "norm violators" and "any group or individual who wants to disrupt the security of the country." In recent weeks, protest actions, including truck drivers' strikes, gatherings of people in Kazeroon, and protests by workers at Hepco, have received widespread attention. These actions are the latest examples following the suppression of protests in December 2017 by security forces, which left at least 25 dead and hundreds injured, with around five thousand arrests. Some analysts have suggested that following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran in the coming months, the economic situation in Iran may experience new shocks, leading to widespread protests in the country. Although some laws in Iran recognize the holding of protests, permits for gatherings are rarely issued, and security forces have confronted many labor and economic protests. In response to statements by government officials about environmental activists, the judiciary spokesman also rejected claims of the imminent release of environmental activists, stating that "they are worried about their own accountability." Ejei remarked that "it is better for everyone to speak within their own area of expertise," adding that the head of the Environmental Protection Organization and other government officials have no knowledge of this case. In reaction to comments from some government officials suggesting that environmental activists "will be released soon," he asked, "From whom did you hear this news, and who are you quoting?" He added, "These statements create the suspicion that since the arrested individuals are under their jurisdiction, they may also be held accountable through them." A day before these remarks, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Vice President and former head of the Environmental Protection Organization, announced that environmental activists "will be released soon" and that this case "will be closed." Prior to her, Eisa Kalantari, the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, stated that there is "no evidence" of espionage against several detained environmental activists, and they should be released. These statements provoked a strong reaction from the Tehran prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, who stated that the presidential committee and other government officials "do not have the right to comment or intervene" in this case. Jafari Dolatabadi indicated that government agencies, especially Kalantari, were expected to provide explanations regarding Kaveh Madani and his departure from the country instead of making such unfounded claims. The arrest of environmental activists led to Kaveh Madani, the deputy head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, leaving the country, and in his resignation letter, he reported that upon his return to Iran, all of his personal hardware and social media accounts had been "plundered" by the "hardliners" of the Islamic Republic without a judicial order. Meanwhile, during a parliamentary session on Sunday, a question from Jawad Karimi Qodosi, a member of the Stability Front, regarding the alleged "escape" of Kaveh Madani from Iran was officially submitted. Following the death of Kavous Seyed Emami and several detainees from the December protests in prison, the Iranian president assigned a four-member committee to "investigate and follow up on unfortunate incidents in some detention centers." The legal deputy of the Iranian president, along with the ministers of intelligence, interior, and justice, are members of this committee. According to several members of parliament, including Mahmoud Sadighi and Mohammad Reza Tabesh, counter-espionage experts from the Ministry of Intelligence have also "explicitly, logically, and documentarily stated that they found no evidence of espionage" against them.