On Iranian social networks, it has almost become a ritual: every week, since the beginning of July, a new video revealing the sexual escapades of a member of the regime, caught in the act of infidelity or homosexual antics. A propagandist singer, a municipal councilor of a seaside resort, a famous imam or even the boss of a major media outlet… The religious rigorism of the Iranian government seems to waver once out of sight.
“Everybody knows it”
“At first, these videos caused great emotion in Iran, but there are so many now that everyone has gotten used to it,” smiles Saeid Golkar, an Iran specialist at the University of Tennessee. members of the regime, religion stops at the door of the house: they pretend to follow the precepts of Islam, but lead a corrupt private life. the system of government.” Images of adulterous sexual relations by several members of the chastity militias, responsible for enforcing Islamic law, are also circulating online.
The first stolen video, the one that made the most noise, was published in July: we see the head of religious and moral affairs of the province of Gilan, north of Tehran, filmed with another man in awkward positions. connection with Sharia law, strictly applied in Iran. But, unlike ordinary Iranians, Reza Tsaghati was not sentenced to death for homosexuality, only fired. Enough to highlight the terrible hypocrisy of the Islamic regime.
Scandals in full repression
The majority of these videos come from a Persian-language Telegram account called Radio Gilan, run by an Iranian journalist exiled in Germany. As is often the case in Iran, the lack of transparency gives rise to all possible theories on the origin of these leaks: Western cabal against the regime, settling of scores between mullahs, purges by the security services… “What is certain is that Iranian intelligence has many compromising videos and uses them to pressure the elites to keep to the line in times of crisis, like last year, Saeid Golkar argues. or just the stupidity of members of the regime, some videos are leaking and are now online.”
These scandals come at a time when an unprecedented repression is falling on Iran: on the eve of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman beaten to death by the moral police for a poorly worn veil on September 16 last, the regime imprisoned and executed opponents with all its might. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are sleeping in prison, and more than 500 have been killed by the police. “This is the most violent repression since the beginning of the Islamic Republic,” said Saeid Golkar. The moral police, once in retreat, have also made a comeback in the streets of Tehran. With more zeal to hunt down Iranian women who defy the obligation to wear the veil than to judge members of the regime infidels.