Iran’s parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty for cooperation with Israel, the US, or hostile groups, while also criminalizing unauthorized use of tools like Starlink to bypass internet restrictions.
The legislation classifies any collaboration with Israel and the United States as “corruption on earth”, which is punishable by death.
“Any intelligence, espionage, or operational activity for Israel, the US, or other hostile regimes and groups or their agents against the country’s security or national interests is considered corruption on earth and punishable by death,” the law says.
It further criminalizes “any security, military, economic, financial, technological action or any direct or indirect assistance knowingly done to approve, strengthen, consolidate, or legitimize Israel,” also punishable by death.
The third article specifies that manufacturing, transferring, or importing drones with military or sabotage uses against critical infrastructure qualifies for the death penalty. It also includes cyberattacks, disruption of communication networks, and sabotage of public or private facilities.
The law penalizes receiving funds from intelligence agents knowingly, regardless of active involvement.
Political, cultural, media, or propaganda activities causing public fear, division, or damage to national security carry 10 to 15 years imprisonment.
Sharing content with "hostile foreign networks" that weakens morale or creates division results in two to five years in prison.
Illegal wartime protests carry five to ten years imprisonment.
The use or import of unauthorized internet communication tools like Starlink is punishable by six months to two years in prison, according to the law.
Importing more than ten Starlink devices “with intent to oppose the Islamic Republic” results in five to ten years’ imprisonment.
The law applies retroactively to offenses committed before its enactment, violating Iran’s constitution and penal code provisions prohibiting retroactive laws, according to experts.
Israeli agents warned Amir-Hossein Farzadi that his father would be targeted unless political prisoners were released.
“It will happen in a few minutes,” one message read. Amir relayed the threat to his uncle, who then evacuated Farzadi from the prison compound just before the deadly strikes, the report said.
The Tehran Province Prisons Department dismissed the report, saying that Farzadi was inspecting the prison wards at the time of the strike.
Farzadi has led the notorious prison since 2022 and has been sanctioned by the US and EU for human rights abuses.
“Numerous protesters have been sent to Evin Prison… where they have been subjected to torture and other forms of physical abuse,” the US Treasury Department said in April.
Prior to Evin, Farzadi served at prisons in Kermanshah and Tehran where he oversaw amputations, torture, and alleged sexual violence against inmates. He remains on the US Specially Designated Nationals list.
Throughout its 12-day war on Iran, Israel launched strikes on key state organs tasked with domestic surveillance, protest suppression, detention and propaganda, targeting what it called “repression infrastructure.”
The attacks focused on intelligence and security agencies, judicial and detention systems, and officials overseeing internal control.
Israel framed the strikes as a show of solidarity with Iranian protesters and an effort to disrupt the Islamic Republic’s repressive capacity.
