The Iranian Government Uses 'Gender Weaponization' to Suppress Women Activists Abroad

The research group 'Citizen Lab' states that authoritarian governments in countries like Iran, China, Russia, and Azerbaijan extensively use 'gender' and 'sexual orientation' in cyberspace to suppress transnational women human rights defenders and journalists. On Monday, December 3, this group at the University of Toronto, in collaboration with several experts and researchers, published a comprehensive report on the harassment, abuse, and threats faced by women human rights activists living and working outside their homeland. This unprecedented report examines the lived experiences of 85 women human rights activists from 24 countries, detailing how governments and their affiliates attempt to use 'gender' and 'sexual orientation' to suppress these women. 'Citizen Lab' indicates that Iran and China each accounted for 13 cases, followed by Russia and Azerbaijan with 10 cases each, highlighting the extent of transnational repression by these governments. The women participating in this research reported that these attacks ranged from 'sexual insults' and 'vulgar comments' to 'threats of rape' and 'attacks related to their personal lives.' These attacks primarily target women who have challenged state censorship and patriarchal norms in their countries through their online statements. Accordingly, 'exiled women human rights defenders who face digital transnational repression not only encounter similar digital threats as their male counterparts but also experience specific forms of gender-based harassment, abuse, and online intimidation.' The 'Citizen Lab' group noted that many of these attacks are based on patriarchal norms and concepts related to 'family honor,' resulting in damages such as 'professional failures,' 'social isolation,' 'destruction of close relationships,' 'severe emotional pressures,' and 'psychological trauma.' The group's research shows that authoritarian governments utilize 'misogyny' and 'patriarchy' to incite and commit repressive acts with specific political aims to silence their critical women voices abroad. The report from 'Citizen Lab' states that although in some cases host governments have taken specific political measures against these attacks, the targeted women have repeatedly emphasized the lack of resources and support in this regard. Furthermore, the policies and actions of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), which have been used for these assaults, indicate that there is 'no specific awareness of digital transnational repression' on these platforms. Previously, reports have emerged regarding pressure on Iranian human rights activists abroad, especially women, by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic. In this context, Freedom House reported last year that the number of cases where authoritarian governments have harassed and suppressed their exiled opponents has increased in recent years. According to this report, the growing number of these governments aims to suppress any dissent against them abroad and to silence critical voices globally.