During the recent nationwide unrest that was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf offense, a group of hackers reportedly leaked government documents suggesting that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi approved the use of at least 100 trillion Iranian rials ($200 million) to put down protests. These documents were reportedly leaked by a hacker group. The highly confidential correspondence between the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Thar Allah Headquarters in Tehran, and Raisi’s office was reportedly hacked and released by the hackers, who are affiliated with the exiled opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq organization (MKO). They are known as Uprising Until Overthrow.
Protests in various parts of Tehran Province are to be contained by the Thar Allah Headquarters, which is under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Tehran views the MKO as a terrorist organization. It was unable to immediately confirm the authenticity of the “very confidential” materials.
The correspondence that was leaked was written at the beginning of November, during a time when there were a lot of protests against the government because of Amini’s death. The documents say that the head of the Armed Forces’ General Staff, Mohammad Bagheri, wrote to Raisi and asked for an immediate allocation of “at least 100 trillion rials” to “end the current situation.” The funds were intended to cover “essential items” such as vehicles, clothing, individual equipment, and other “unavoidable operational costs” that security forces require.
Gholamhossein Esmaili, the head of Raisi’s office, wrote a highly private and urgent letter to the head of the country’s Planning and Budget Organization in response to the request, requesting the “necessary assistance” for the financial request.
The hacker group’s additional documents reveal that Esmaili also requested money for the Thar Allah Headquarters in Tehran. Raisi had been requested by the headquarters to allocate tens of billions of Rials for the suppression of student protests.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the annual budget amendment bill had approved a 20% salary increase for military and law enforcement personnel. This coincides with the confidential correspondence.
In response to the greatest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets since September 2022 to demand more freedoms and women’s rights. The judiciary, supported by lawmakers, has carried out a brutal crackdown on the protesters.
Numerous protesters, journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others have been detained among the thousands. Following what rights groups and a number of Western governments have referred to as “sham” trials, at least seven protesters have been executed.
Senior judiciary officials have stated that they are determined to ensure that those convicted and sentenced receive their punishments, and several additional individuals are still on death row. The activist news agency HRANA reported that more than 500 people, including 71 children, were killed during the uprising as security forces attempted to suppress widespread opposition.
