Judiciary of the Islamic Republic Files Charges Against Eight Notable Figures for Comments on Kerman Incident

Fars News Agency reported on Saturday that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against seven prominent figures in social media, as well as the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office against Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor, for comments regarding the explosions on January 3 in Kerman. According to this news organization affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Attorney General also called for action against what he referred to as 'insulting the sacred martyrs' on the same day. Simultaneously, the Deputy of Cyber Police announced that 500 pages containing 'insulting content about the martyrs' related to the Kerman events are under cyber surveillance. Following the Kerman incident on the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's assassination, Sadegh Zibakalam stated in an interview with Voice of America: 'All evidence suggests that the Kerman operation is unlikely to be the work of Israel; Israel would not target individuals who have done nothing wrong and were merely present at the location.' He further asserted: 'Pointing the finger at the Islamic Republic does not hold much value or credibility. I believe Islamist groups like ISIS are more likely to be responsible. All evidence suggests it is unlikely to be the work of Israel. However, it certainly cannot be the work of the Islamic Republic either.' Meanwhile, ISIS claimed responsibility for the Kerman explosions using 'explosive belts' in a statement released on its Telegram channels on January 14. A day later, Reuters reported, citing American sources, that 'ISIS Khorasan' is responsible for the deadly Kerman explosions based on 'clear and undeniable information.' Following the Kerman explosions, Mohammad Mohammadi Azad, the Attorney General, called for 'decisive action' against the dissemination of 'false and illegal content' in media and social networks. This judicial official of the Islamic Republic labeled opposing comments to the claims of the Islamic Republic as 'sacrilege' by individuals he described as 'ignorant and adversarial.' In recent years, following widespread protests in Iran, including in 2017, 2019, and 2022, such security and judicial actions have been taken against social media users who published news and images of protests or criticized the crackdown on protesters by government forces. Nevertheless, these actions by the Islamic Republic have had little impact on social media users or protests. A teachers' organization stated that the students killed in Kerman were victims of the educational system's propaganda policies. Reuters reported, citing American sources, that 'ISIS Khorasan' is responsible for the deadly Kerman explosions. Narges Mohammadi reacted to the deadly Kerman explosions, stating that 'security' cannot be sustained without freedom. The death toll from the Kerman explosions has risen to 89, with the Islamic Republic claiming to have arrested 'some' of the perpetrators. The sensitivity of the Islamic Republic to words has led to two arrests due to an image of 'cutlet' and criticism of the anniversary ceremony of Soleimani's death. The identity of users was revealed under the pretext of 'cutlet'; Mehdi Sarami Far provided explanations about security in cyberspace. The Islamic Republic's efforts to counter social media users have led the Attorney General to order action.