{"id":327860,"date":"2025-01-19T18:09:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T17:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=327860"},"modified":"2025-09-18T15:18:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T14:18:46","slug":"the-iranian-regimes-manufactured-opposition-and-selective-treatment-of-political-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/demonization-articles-analyses\/the-iranian-regimes-manufactured-opposition-and-selective-treatment-of-political-prisoners\/","title":{"rendered":"The Iranian Regime’s Manufactured Opposition and Selective Treatment of Political Prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Four-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On January 14, news broke of the suicide of Ebrahim Nabavi, a well-known Iranian satirist. The story reverberated across social media and news outlets, evoking polarized reactions. Nabavi\u2019s career path\u2014once rooted in state-controlled media before transitioning to Persian-language platforms abroad\u2014has left a controversial legacy. Revisionist factions within the regime who sell themselves as \u201creformists,\u201d criticized authorities<\/a> for barring Nabavi from returning to Iran. Meanwhile, many Iranians highlighted his record, particularly his attempts to obscure the clerical regime\u2019s atrocities, including his repeated appeals to forget the massacre<\/a> of political prisoners in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Nabavi\u2019s narrative as a former political prisoner\u2014one who claimed to have endured the regime\u2019s mistreatment\u2014might appear compelling to international observers. Yet this case, like others, unveils a far more intricate reality. The clerical dictatorship has practically and efficiently long exploited its Achilles\u2019 heel: its lack of legitimacy. Through sophisticated psychological strategies, the regime has turned even dissent into a tool for its survival.<\/p>\n

The Manufactured Opposition<\/h3>\n

The Iranian regime has mastered the art of using controlled dissent to shield itself from existential threats. As noted in a 2012 Library of Congress<\/a> report, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) employs various tactics to infiltrate opposition abroad. These include fabricating dissident personas for individuals who are, in reality, regime operatives. As the report explains, \u201cMOIS uses its former members and\/or people willing to cooperate with the ministry. They are sent to prison temporarily and become known as activists opposed to the Islamic Republic. After some time, no one questions their previous political activities; being a political prisoner is enough to be acknowledged as an opposition figure.\u201d<\/p>\n

This manufactured opposition allows the regime to project an image of pluralism while undermining the validity of authentic dissidents, who typically enjoy the trust and respect of the Iranian community for their sacrifices. Such tactics not only weaken the broader opposition movement but also sow deep mistrust within exile communities, fracturing their unity and making it harder to build a cohesive front against the regime.<\/p>\n

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Contained within a proposal obtained and subsequently disclosed by the #Iranian<\/a> dissident group, MOIS Chief Esmail Khatib communicated to President Ebrahim Raisi that the RFJ Program aimed to accomplish the following:
* Recruitment of individuals to serve as spies and incentivize\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/vqmAZhF8oG<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n