IRGC Utilizes Social Media Networks to Suppress Protesters

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that the IRGC is mobilizing its forces to use social media and media outlets, such as Twitter, to identify the identities of protesters and suppress protests, an action analysts consider a violation of the rules of these social media platforms. These actions come one week after the peak of recent street protests and severe unrest across the country, which, although somewhat subsided, reportedly continues in some cities with slogans against inflation, corruption, and the dominance of the religious leader. The report adds that the relative decline of protests after several days of escalation indicates a climate of pressure in various cities and regions of the country. Another factor is the demonstrations of government supporters, which were widely covered by television, potentially acting as a barrier to the eruption of public anger. According to the report, the website 'Gerdab,' launched by the IRGC a decade ago, has published photos of suspected protesters in various cities, particularly Kermanshah and Zanjan, where protests were intense. This site has invited citizens to help identify these individuals, a tactic previously used during the mass protests in 2009 regarding the presidential election results. The IRGC-affiliated site has stated that it will publish more photos of suspects labeled as 'agents of unrest' and 'chaos.' Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, has accused 'foreign enemies' of instigating street protests, while President Hassan Rouhani believes that public discontent plays a crucial role in these events. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty further notes that the announcements and photos published on the Gerdab site have also been covered by conservative media outlets such as Mashregh, Khabar Online, and Jahan News. Gerdab has stated on its homepage above the published photos, 'If you have any information about the owners of the photos below or any news and information, including photos, videos, news, emails, and internet addresses, or complaints regarding the movements of agitators from any group or profession that provoke destructive activities in cyberspace, please report through the Gerdab site.' Government repression is evident as Amin Sabati, an expert on internet issues in Iran, emphasized in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the 'abhorrent action' and 'offensive behavior' of the Tasnim news agency on Twitter clearly constitute a violation of the rules of this social media platform. Official sources report that over a thousand people have been arrested nationwide, including 450 in Tehran. Meanwhile, the hardline Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, which was established in 2012 amid the Arab Spring and regional revolutions to 'defend (Iran) against media propaganda,' has also published photos of protesters in Tehran on its Twitter page, calling for their identification by users. This media outlet, which typically reflects the views of the hardline faction, has also published contact numbers for the Ministry of Intelligence, IRGC, and Law Enforcement Force, urging the public to contact these agencies to share their information about the individuals in the photos with security and law enforcement forces. In these photos, individuals marked with a red circle are identified as 'leaders of the unrest.' Twitter is officially blocked in Iran, although it is openly used by government officials such as Rouhani, Khamenei, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and other officials and state media to disseminate views and news. Nevertheless, people use filtering tools to access this social media platform. The publication of protesters' photos by Tasnim has faced backlash from some Iranian users. Amir Rashidi, an internet security researcher at the Center for Human Rights in Iran in New York, tweeted that 'this IRGC-affiliated news agency has put the lives of protesters at very serious risk.' Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the University of Denver, also tweeted that 'as expected, the IRGC and its agents have launched a threatening campaign with Stalinist tactics to suppress protesters.' Amin Sabati, residing in London and an expert on internet issues in Iran, reiterated in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the 'abhorrent action' and 'offensive behavior' of Tasnim on Twitter clearly violate the rules of this social media platform. Twitter also asks users not to participate in actions that intimidate others and encourages people to avoid participating in such activities. Sabati states that the editors and reporters of Tasnim who published the images of protesters for identification should be 'disciplined.' The Tasnim message remained on the agency's Twitter page for a full day until Friday.