Iran is deepening its fight against the opposition Green Movement by publishing photographs of protesters in the hopes that informants will step forward and identify them to authorities
The latest, published Monday, displays 47 images containing about 100 faces circled in red – adding to the 38 photos published ast week with 65 faces circled. The announcement offered readers a hotline and a website to give Iranian police tips on the identity of those individuals.
“This technique of identifying protesters is basically an appeal to people who know them – i.e. have a grudge – to come forward and hand them in,” says James Spencer, director of research and analysis at Scymitar Consulting, a London-based group. “This hasn’t altered radically since medieval or Wild West wanted posters.”
The rare move of issuing a public appeal for help suggests that Iran’s law enforcement authorities are overwhelmed by the range and social spread of protesters spilling onto the streets.
