The fear in your neck
Threatened and persecuted: Iranian activists in Germany
October 6, 2023, 4:39 p.m
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Iranian activists are threatened, attacked, spied on, their homes are broken into – these are things that happen. In Germany. Is the federal government doing enough to protect those being persecuted? Human rights activist Mina Khani tells.
With fear on her mind, Mina Khani opens messages on her cell phone. “I have received a lot of death threats in the last few years,” says the human rights activist one afternoon in late summer. Khani is 40 years old, Iranian and is a well-known public activist. She raises awareness about executions in her home country and advocates for prisoners. Their work is considered dangerous and also makes them a target.
The eyes of Iranian activists are vigilant, and not just since the serious protests broke out in autumn 2022. Because even if they live in Germany, some do not feel safe here. They complain about cyberattacks, espionage and social engineering. Attackers try to establish trust, for example by pretending to be friends. “I’ve been noticing that the Iranian state has been trying to mute me for about a year. At the beginning we laughed about it, but now it’s become extremely serious,” says the activist. In September last year, the death of Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini sparked the country’s worst uprisings in decades. The 22-year-old fell into a coma and subsequently died after being arrested by moral police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code. The young generation in particular took to the streets against the repressive politics.
Khani has lived in Germany for almost 20 years. The Iranian is a feminist journalist and believes that her work is a thorn in the side of the political and spiritual leadership in Tehran. “In my case there were multiple attempts at social engineering,” says the 40-year-old. “They want to use this to get blatant personal information – where you live, what you do, what makes you tick, who you work with,” explains the activist.
The federal government knows the threat. “The Iranian intelligence services are currently interested in clarifying anti-regime demonstrations in Germany and identifying the participants,” said the Federal Ministry of the Interior. “There are currently no concrete indications of a threat to the detriment of the Iranian opposition, but an abstract, fundamental threat must be assumed.”
Charming kittens
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is also aware of the dangers, and recently presented a warning about cyber espionage against critics in Germany. “Concrete spying attempts” can be assumed. “Spying activities by Iranian intelligence services serve to prepare for state terrorist activities, including the kidnapping or even killing of the target person,” it said in the 2022 annual report. According to the security authority, the hacker group “Charming Kitten” is said to be involved in spying on Iranian opposition figures and exiled Iranians. However, according to experts, behind the cute name, which can be translated as “adorable kitten”, there is a group that is supposed to act in the interests of the Iranian security services. Little is known about the hackers who also use social engineering.
The political scientist and Iran expert Ali Fathollah-Nejad would like to see more commitment from the authorities. The danger is not just for human rights activists. “The Islamic Republic sees many people as a danger: whether they are activists, journalists or – as in my case – scientists who criticize the regime’s policies or advocate democratic change,” says Fathollah-Nejad, who says he is also himself has already fallen victim to attacks. Many activists have become targets of such intimidation.
The opposition left-wing faction in the Bundestag complains about too little protection. There is a lack of concrete concepts for those affected, criticizes the refugee policy spokeswoman for the Left Party, Clara Bünger. “The federal government refers the competences to the states, and the states do not have adequate answers, which leaves those affected unprotected,” said the MP. “People are threatened and attacked, apartments are broken into. These are things that really happen in Germany.”
Khani now has direct contact with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Berlin police also came to her and presented possible concepts for protecting her apartment, she says. Despite possible threats, Khani doesn’t give up. “This fight is not only waged on the streets or in public, but I am also waging it with myself. The revolutionary people I meet, those I see, who carry on even though it burns inside and out give me strength.”