Iranian human rights lawyer responds to state surveillance with defiance

An Iranian human rights lawyer has shared a text message sent by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence as evidence of state control, responding with a defense of the right to protest.

“When there is no longer any way left for democratic change, when in less than a year the value of people's money is halved and people are at risk of becoming homeless, when in summer and winter we have neither electricity nor gas nor water nor clean air, then protests against the country's politics, economy and management are the nation’s right,” Amir Raeisian wrote on X on Monday.

Raeisian posted a surveillance warning from the IRGC, although it is not clear whether he received the message himself or whether it was forwarded to him by one of the protesters, as he does not clarify who the original recipient was.

“Your presence in connection with the illegal gatherings on December 29 has come under intelligence monitoring, so it is advised that you strictly refrain from taking part yourself, and from the participation of your relatives, in such illegal gatherings, which serve the enemy’s aims,” the IRGC Intelligence text read.

“These are not illegal gatherings,” Raeisian said.