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The Iranian government is not coy about its silence tactics. Since Iran's Woman Life Freedom Movement began on 16 September 2022, unlawful executions, imprisonment, physical and sexual abuse has dominated headlines across the globe. It is estimated that tens of thousands of people have been on the receiving end of some form of government retribution – and at the heart of it is a complex surveillance system that aids security forces in its endeavours.

Women who took to the streets immediately after Mahsa Amini was killed by the morality police in 2022 sustained serious, sometimes deadly injuries. For those who survived, many took to social media condemning the Iranian government for their actions. What they did not expect was their social media posts to become grounds for court summons and sentencing.

The Supreme Cyber Council oversees digital rule in the country, and combined with FATA (the Cyber police), BASIJ (volunteer law enforcement working with Iran’s security forces) and surveillance spy software amongst other things, clamping down on dissent has never been easier. Much of their clamp down comes via a combination of technologies and people who trawl through social media and flag anti-government content. On Telegram groups, pro-government supporters rat on protesters. Through government apps, police and loyal Basij members can upload photos of car number plates that help identify dissenters. The Iranian surveillance eco-system transcends the digital space and spills over into real life.

Reporter: Reha Kansara
Producer: Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Shayan Sardarizadeh
Editor: Flora Carmichael