Turkish security forces arrested five people accused of spying for Iranian intelligence in a coordinated operation across Istanbul, Antalya, and Mersin, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday.
The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran revealed that Tehran has significantly expanded its efforts to control and restrict the rights of women and girls.
The report highlights how the government is leveraging technology to enforce strict hijab laws and criminalize activism, portraying these efforts as part of a broader strategy to stifle human rights advocacy.
“These repressive measures reflect the State’s ongoing persecutory conduct aimed at suppressing women and girls’ human rights and their right to equality,” the report published on Friday said.
Despite pre-election promises by President Masoud Pezeshkian to ease the enforcement of strict hijab laws, the government has increased its policing since last year. The Noor Plan has intensified surveillance and criminal prosecution of women who defy mandatory hijab rules, according to the report.
In April 2024, Iranian authorities deployed aerial drones in Tehran and southern Iran to monitor women's hijab compliance in public spaces. Additionally, facial recognition software was installed at the entrance of Amirkabir University in Tehran to track female students' adherence to hijab regulations.
A key element of the crackdown is the Nazer mobile application. Vetted individuals and police officers can use this app to report women suspected of hijab non-compliance in private vehicles, taxis, ambulances, and public transport. The app allows users to log the location, date, and time of incidents and submit vehicle license plate information. This triggers an automated message warning the vehicle's owner about the alleged violation and threatening impoundment for repeated offenses.
Sara Hossain, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said, “For two years, Iran has refused to adequately acknowledge the demands for equality and justice that fueled the protests in 2022. The criminalization, surveillance, and continued repression of protesters, families of victims, and survivors, in particular women and girls, is deeply worrying.”
Women human rights defenders and activists continue to face severe penalties, including fines, long prison sentences, and even the death penalty for peaceful activism. The report noted that at least 11 men and three women remain at risk of execution, amid concerns about torture, forced confessions, and unfair trials.
“The Government’s policies have denied victims in Iran the right to truth, justice, and reparations,” said Viviana Krsticevic, an expert member of the Mission. “Given the gravity of the violations in the country and the serious risk of recurring violence against those who express dissent or challenge the State and its policies, it is crucial for the Human Rights Council to continue supporting the victims in their search for redress and non-repetition.”
The report also noted how the Iranian government has expanded surveillance beyond its borders. Iranian activists and journalists abroad have been targeted through online harassment and threats.
Victims of torture and families of those killed in the protests have been intimidated to remain silent. Those who speak out, including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists, face threats and persecution. Many have been forced to flee the country.
Shaheen Sardar Ali, another expert member of the Mission, said, “It is imperative that comprehensive accountability measures also continue to be pursued outside the country.”
The Mission collected over 38,000 evidence items and interviewed 285 victims and witnesses. The report reaffirmed earlier findings of gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including rape, torture, and deaths falsely labeled as suicides.
Security forces showed "little or no distinction" between adult and child protesters, subjecting children to the same brutal treatment, including torture and unfair trials.
Ethnic and religious minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, and LGBTQ+ individuals, were particularly targeted during the protests. The Mission also investigated the roles of Iran’s key state entities, including the Revolutionary Guard, police, morality police, and judiciary, finding these bodies responsible for widespread human rights violations.
The Mission compiled a confidential list of alleged perpetrators, which it will submit to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
This report follows another released on Thursday by UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato, which condemned Iran for executing over 900 people in 2024, the highest number since 2015. Sato said, "Iran remains the highest per capita user of the death penalty globally."
Sato also criticized Iran’s new hijab law, which imposes harsh penalties, including up to 15 years in prison for women deemed non-compliant. "This law marks an unprecedented expansion of state control over women’s bodies and personal choices," she said.
The Fact-Finding Mission will present its full report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, March 18. The Mission urged the Council to appoint a new independent body to continue investigating human rights violations in Iran.
The suspects, three Turkish citizens and two foreign nationals, had allegedly been involved in "military and political espionage," Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported citing the prosecutor.
The operation was carried out as part of an investigation by the prosecutor’s office and Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
The report added that the individuals had contacted members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) intelligence, obtained information about military bases and important regions in Turkey and critical points abroad, and transferred it to Iranian intelligence.
Relations between Ankara and Tehran have grown frostier after Iran's oldest Arab ally the Assad dynasty was swept from Syria by rebels close to Turkey last year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan this month hit out at Iran's reliance on regional militias as dangerous and called for a policy shift, stoking Iran's ire.
He also suggested that "if you are attempting to destabilize a third country, other nations may reciprocate by supporting groups within your own borders."
Arrest warrants for the suspects were issued, and they were apprehended in operations carried out in Istanbul, Antalya, and Mersin provinces, the agency reported.
In recent years, Turkey has experienced several incidents involving alleged espionage activities linked to Iran.
Last month, Israeli authorities sentenced a businessman to serve a 12 years in prison for spying for Iran and plotting to assassinate the country's leaders including the country’s PM and defense chief.
The man who was based in Turkey, but hailed from northern Israel, had entered Iran and met with agents who had instructed him to carry out operations in Israel.
In September 2022, Istanbul police arrested four Iranian citizens on suspicion of espionage, forgery of official documents, and human trafficking. The suspects were found in possession of numerous stolen passports, identification documents and espionage equipment.
In June 2022, Turkish authorities, in collaboration with Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, foiled an alleged Iranian plot to kidnap and assassinate Israeli tourists in Istanbul. The operation led to the detention of several Iranian and Turkish operatives Ankara accused of being linked to the IRGC.
