47 Years of Threats and Killings; The Islamic Republic Has Targeted Its Own People Even in the Midst of War

47 years of threats and killings continue through security text messages and judicial warnings; instead of accountability, the Islamic Republic labels its own people as “enemies.”

While Iran is caught in military tensions and deep internal crises, the Islamic Republic government, instead of ensuring citizen security, has once again resorted to the language of threats against the very people who have long paid the price for this system’s adventurous policies.

The Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Intelligence intensified an atmosphere of intimidation yesterday, Tuesday, March 3rd, by issuing a notice that was even sent to citizens via text message. The message stated that Israel seeks to “employ Iranians within the country against the Islamic Republic” and emphasized: “Those few domestic mercenaries who seek to destabilize the Islamic homeland will be dealt with decisively, as Israeli soldiers.”

This rhetoric, which effectively places critical citizens in the position of “enemy forces,” is a continuation of the approach that over the past 47 years has repeatedly led to mass arrests, severe sentences, political executions, and bloody suppression of protests.

Concurrent with these threats, “Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i,” the Head of the Islamic Republic’s Judiciary, also warned: “Pursuant to the notice issued, considering that we are in wartime conditions, those individuals who in any way, through word or deed, act in accordance with the unlawful wishes and interests of the aggressor enemy, will be dealt with decisively and severely in accordance with existing laws and regulations.” He further added: “These individuals will be dealt with based on revolutionary and Islamic principles in wartime.”

Such statements are made while many Iranian citizens have neither played a role in military decisions nor had any part in the government’s tension-escalating foreign policy. Nevertheless, the same people who have lived under economic pressure, sanctions, structural corruption, and social restrictions for years are now facing direct security threats.

A look at the Islamic Republic’s record shows that threatening citizens at critical political and security junctures has been a constant part of this system’s governance policy. From the widespread executions of the 1980s to the suppression of student protests, the nationwide protests of 2009, the November 2019 uprising, and the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, the authorities’ response to civil protests has always been security and judicial crackdowns.

In many of these cases, international human rights organizations have condemned the use of lethal violence against unarmed protesters. Multiple reports of thousands of citizens being killed in streets during recent protests, the arrest of thousands, death sentences, and pressure on victims’ families paint a clear picture of how the government deals with its critics.

Now, as military tensions escalate, instead of transparency and national solidarity, security and judicial agencies are attempting to further militarize the country’s atmosphere. Internet shutdowns or restrictions, the summoning of civil activists, and official warnings about “siding with the enemy” show that the government views even verbal protest or criticism as collaboration with the “aggressor enemy.”

Under such circumstances, the line between “national security” and “preserving political power” has become more blurred than ever. Critics argue that a ruling system that has repeatedly used violence to preserve itself over the past 47 years is now continuing down the same path even amid crisis.

The bitter reality is that within the current structure, Iranian citizens pay twice over: once through the consequences of war, sanctions, and insecurity, and again through domestic threats and suppression. While officials speak of “decisive action,” many families worry about their children’s safety—children who might face serious charges merely for expressing an opinion on social media or participating in a protest gathering.

After 47 years, this question remains: Can a government that labels its own people as “suspects” and “mercenaries” instead of partners at critical junctures claim to represent them?

What is seen today is the continuation of the same cycle that formed from the very founding of the Islamic Republic: “Crisis, threats, suppression, and crisis again.”