Iran's Espionage Law: A Dissent-Silencing Tool

A new report by Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) warns that Iran’s proposed 2025 espionage law could become a sweeping instrument of repression, expanding the death penalty to cover peaceful dissent, journalism, and civil activism.

Women Journalists Without Chains says the bill is being advanced under the pretext of national security, with the authorities exploiting the recent military confrontation with Israel to tighten their grip on domestic society and justify severe new restrictions.

Formally titled “Strengthening the Punishment of Spies and Collaborators with the Zionist Regime and Hostile States,” the draft law represents what the report describes as a qualitative shift in the regime’s repressive strategy. Central to the concern is its unprecedented expansion of the crime of “corruption on earth,” a capital offense in Iran’s penal code. Activities that once fell within the scope of civil or journalistic work are now being placed in the same category as espionage, making them punishable by death.

The language of the bill is deliberately vague, relying on ambiguous terms such as “collaboration” or “spreading false news.” This gives judicial and security bodies broad discretion to define opposition activity as treason or intelligence work. According to the report, such provisions effectively hand the authorities a legal arsenal to criminalize peaceful criticism and to prosecute and execute dissidents, journalists, and activists.

Women Journalists Without Chains emphasizes that the measure violates Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and protection from retroactive punishment. The report highlights several areas where the draft law breaches these principles.

 It expands the use of capital punishment to include nonviolent and politically motivated accusations such as “economic cooperation” or “media activity.” It refers cases to expedited revolutionary courts known for denying defendants even the most basic procedural safeguards. It also stipulates retroactive application, criminalizing actions taken before the bill’s passage in contradiction to the principle of legality enshrined in international law.

The report further warns that the bill is designed to create a sweeping chilling effect, pushing citizens into silence and self-censorship. By criminalizing the sending of films and photographs to foreign networks, the authorities would be able to treat the simple act of posting protest footage or evidence of local grievances on social media as “corruption on earth.” The effect, the organization argues, would be to close off any remaining space for peaceful dissent, independent reporting, and the free flow of information.

The communities most vulnerable to this legislation are those already subject to systematic discrimination and repression. Journalists and activists would face the constant risk that any critical report could be construed as spreading false information or undermining national security. Ethnic minorities such as Balochis, Kurds, and Arabs, who are already disproportionately represented in executions, would likely bear the brunt of expanded capital charges. Dual nationals and Iranians with ties abroad could also be targeted, with the authorities accusing them of receiving funds from foreign agents without providing evidence of espionage.

WJWC calls for the immediate withdrawal of the bill and stresses that halting executions must be a prerequisite for any dialogue with the Iranian authorities. The organization urges the international community and human rights groups to publicly condemn the legislation, to provide protection for activists at risk, and to pursue accountability for officials implicated in abuses. The report concludes that the draft law, if enacted, would not only escalate the use of the death penalty but also institutionalize repression and extinguish the possibility of peaceful expression in Iran.

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