In the Shadows of Silence: The Forgotten Lives Behind Iran's Mass Arrests

Since early 2025, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has intensified its crackdown on Iranian civilians, arresting over 750 individuals under accusations of espionage for Israel's Mossad. A significant portion of those detained are Kurdish civilians, particularly from Iran's western provinces, who have historically faced systemic discrimination and political repression. According to reports from Kurdish human rights organisations and Iran-focused watchdog groups, many of the arrested have had no verifiable ties to foreign intelligence services, raising serious concerns over the legitimacy of the charges and the due process afforded to detainees.

This mass wave of arrests appears to be part of a calculated campaign by the Iranian regime to instil fear among the general population and dissuade any potential uprisings or protests. In the wake of recurring demonstrations sparked by economic hardship, political repression, and ethnic marginalisation, the regime has adopted increasingly coercive tactics. By labelling dissidents, especially from vulnerable ethnic minorities, as “spies” or “foreign agents”, the authorities aim to delegitimise domestic dissent and justify brutal crackdowns under the guise of national security. The widespread use of this narrative is intended to scare Iranians into silence and discourage solidarity across different segments of society.

Many of those recently arrested include Kurdish kolbars—individuals who carry goods across the mountainous Iran-Iraq border to survive economically. The IRGC has accused numerous kolbars of smuggling for Israel, a claim widely seen as baseless and politically motivated. These kolbars, often from impoverished communities, risk their lives daily to provide for their families. Every year, dozens are shot and killed by IRGC forces simply for transporting basic goods. The regime’s criminalisation of their struggle exposes a cruel policy that punishes poverty while using fabricated espionage charges to justify violence against an already marginalised

population.

The future of the more than 750 civilians arrested remains unknown at this time. Families have received little to no information about their loved ones' whereabouts or legal status. With no transparency in the judicial process and a regime determined to use fear as a tool of control, these detainees are trapped in a system designed to silence, not to deliver justice. Their fate hangs in uncertainty, and without international attention and pressure, many risk being forgotten in the prisons of a regime that thrives on oppression.