Iranian authorities are tightening controls on public gatherings and warning of harsh sentences for antigovernment protests amid threats of further U.S. attacks, Al Jazeera reported Monday.

The heightened security posture extends from political prosecutions to gatherings of young people in Tehran, where security personnel dispersed Halloween celebrations and closed cafes on October 30, according to the report.

On Sunday, Iran’s judiciary said three young men arrested during nationwide protests in January had been executed. Authorities alleged they attacked government offices and damaged public property near Tehran to benefit the United States and Israel.

Those allegations form part of the government’s portrayal of the January protests as a foreign-backed coup attempt. Al Jazeera reported that an independent United Nations fact-finding mission found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown. Human rights groups said thousands were killed, mostly on January 8 and 9.

The Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said Iran has executed at least 79 political or religious prisoners this year, including 40 people arrested during the January protests. Foreign-based rights organizations say political cases resulting in executions are frequently marked by allegations of torture, forced confessions and other due-process violations.

The pressure is also visible in Tehran’s public spaces. Hundreds of mostly young Iranians gathered in costumes or makeup at cafes on Iranshahr Street on October 30. Within hours, motorcyclists and plainclothes security personnel arrived to disperse them, Al Jazeera reported. Assaults and detentions were reported, and people in nearby Artists Park were reportedly ordered to leave.

Authorities did not officially comment on the operation. Pro-government stations and booths have since appeared on the same street, with supporters waving flags and chanting slogans praising the government.

The crackdown follows a period of looser enforcement of some social restrictions, including rules governing women’s dress. Iranian media have offered differing responses: the reformist Shargh newspaper urged policymakers to provide appealing cultural opportunities, while the ultraconservative Keyhan described Halloween celebrations as evidence of cultural alienation.

Mahjoob Zweiri, director of Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Center, told Al Jazeera that the course of the war and prospects for a negotiated settlement would help shape Iran’s political and social conditions.

Sources