TEHRAN — Amnesty International published a report on June 1, 2026, stating that the Islamic regime has used wartime conditions as a cover to intensify repression against the Iranian people. The report detailed arbitrary arrests, internet shutdowns, death penalty threats, and the exploitation of national security claims to target civilians.
Amnesty International reported that the regime arbitrarily arrested thousands of people, including children, under the cover of national security. Official statements and information gathered from victims’ families and human rights defenders confirmed authorities used wartime conditions to crack down on civil society, particularly targeting minority religious and ethnic groups, journalists, and human rights defenders.
The Islamic Republic ended its internet blackout approximately one week before June 1, 2026, after an almost three-month cutoff. Despite the restoration, human rights organizations warned that internet restrictions remain. Amnesty International reviewed text messages in which the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned individuals attempting to bypass internet restrictions could be prosecuted under the Espionage Act, which carries the death penalty. The IRGC sent messages referencing individuals’ IP addresses, VPN use, or satellite internet access and threatened to block SIM cards and refer users to judicial authorities.
Amnesty International reviewed 11 instances of messages sent to civilians, eight of which warned that photographing areas damaged in airstrikes and sharing such content online or with media would be deemed “collaborating with the enemy.” The IRGC explicitly stated that any link to “hostile states” or the “Zionist regime” would result in prosecution under the Espionage Law. The regime also introduced the digital system “Saham” in March 2026 to identify alleged “terrorist and mercenary agents affiliated with the Zionist enemy and other hostile countries.”
Iran’s police chief, Ahmadreza Radan, announced in May 2026 that more than 6,500 “traitors and spies” had been arrested since February 28, 2026, and confirmed ongoing arrests related to the January 2026 demonstrations. Lawyers Amir Raisian and Milad Panahipour were arrested on April 29, 2026, and charged with “spreading lies” and “spreading propaganda against the system” for raising due process concerns in the case of their client, 18-year-old Ehsan Hosseinipour Hesarloo, who is at risk of execution.
“Iranian authorities are exploiting the crisis to further erode the human rights of people in Iran who are already suffering from the devastating consequences of unlawful air strikes by US and Israeli forces, as well as decades of crimes under international law at the hands of the Islamic Republic,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director of Research, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Amnesty International. She added, “To maintain their grip on power, the authorities have unleashed an all-out assault on people in Iran, targeting anyone who dares to criticize the Islamic Republic, share information about the US or Israeli air strikes or human rights violations with the outside world, or simply attempt to break through what became the longest recorded internet shutdown to communicate with loved ones or access independent information.”