Germany’s federal interior ministry warned that members of the Iranian diaspora in Germany face a risk of intimidation and harassment by Iranian state actors, including possible cyber attacks, in a response to a written question from Green lawmaker Marcel Emmerich.
The ministry said it receives regular reports of what it called transnational repression, meaning efforts by a state to monitor, threaten or pressure opponents abroad.
German authorities take any activity by foreign state bodies or their proxies in Germany very seriously and do not tolerate it, the ministry said, adding this was especially true when refugees could be at risk.
The warning follows protests in Iran that began in late December and quickly grew into nationwide unrest against the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities moved to crush the protests.
Berlin cites transnational repression
The interior ministry said it works with federal security agencies to counter transnational repression in Germany and coordinates foreign policy steps with the foreign ministry. People who suspect threats from state bodies or intelligence services can contact the domestic intelligence agency confidentially, it said.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service has also alerted people who could be targets of Iranian cyber attacks, the ministry said. Those who feel in immediate danger should contact police, while state police forces are responsible for individual risk assessments and protection.
Emmerich said the measures did not go far enough and called for specialized contact points for those affected, as well as a firmer political stance against repression in Germany.
The government said it continues to push within the European Union to add Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to the EU terrorism list. Approval talks are still under way.
The European Parliament has urged the EU to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization and condemned Iran’s use of force against protesters.
