Iran Cracks Down on Activists Amid Massive Funeral for Khamenei to Project Unity

Iran is preparing for a large-scale funeral for its recently killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, aiming to showcase national unity amid internal turmoil. Despite the public display of millions attending the funeral ceremonies, the Iranian regime continues to intensify its crackdown on civil society activists and regime opponents. Security forces recently arrested prominent environmental activists Hooman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani, who had been released from long prison terms only two years ago, along with Sepideh's sister Sima Kashani, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Their arrests, reported by The New York Times, came without formal charges or transparent legal proceedings, raising concerns about the regime's use of security justifications to silence dissent.

Jokar and Kashani, members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, were first detained in 2018 by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence branch on espionage charges they denied. They spent over six years in the notorious Evin prison before their 2024 release. Since then, they have been barred from engaging in environmental or political activities, focusing instead on personal and family health matters. Amnesty International reports that over 6,000 people have been arrested in Iran since the outbreak of conflict with the US and Israel on February 28, 2026, with the regime increasingly employing the death penalty against protesters and activists.

The timing of these arrests coincides with the regime's efforts to exploit Khamenei's funeral to project an image of widespread public support and national consensus, despite growing public resentment over economic hardship and political repression. Iranian President Masoud Pezhkian called on citizens from all ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds to participate in the funeral events to demonstrate unity. However, critics like American-Iranian former prisoner Siamak Namazi denounce the regime's calls for "national reconciliation" as hypocritical, highlighting the arbitrary arrests and lack of due process faced by activists.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry and state media have remained silent on the recent arrests, even as reformist-aligned outlets have reported on them. This crackdown follows mass protests earlier this year demanding the fall of the clerical regime, which were met with violent repression resulting in thousands of deaths. The regime continues to justify its harsh measures by citing the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel, using it as a pretext to suppress internal dissent and maintain control.