Germany sees increase in Iranian spying since protests

BERLIN: The German government has acknowledged an increase in spying by Iranian intelligence agents on exiled Iranians living in Germany since the start of mass protests last year, Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on Saturday.
Nationwide unrest triggered by the death of a young woman detained by Iranian morality police last year has led to “increasing indications of possible spying on opposition events and individuals” in Germany, the federal government said in response to an information request from the far-left Linke Party.
“Opposition groups and individuals ... are considered by the rulers in Iran as a threat to the continued existence of the regime,” the government said in its response.
It said the country’s domestic intelligence service had identified 160 individuals with links to Germany as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Revolutionary Guards’ “extensive spying activities” are directed in particular against pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish targets in Germany, the newspaper cited the government as saying.
Demonstrations that first erupted in September over the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who had been placed in detention by police enforcing the Islamic Republic’s strict restrictions on women’s dress have turned into the biggest protests in years.
Also on Saturday, the lawyer of Fariba Adelkhah said the release of Iranian-French academic was final, though it was still unclear how much longer she would have to stay in Iran before returning to France.
“She was freed last night and is now at her home,” Hojjat Kermani told Reuters.
In announcing Adelkhah’s release on Friday, the French Foreign Ministry, called that Adelkhah’s freedoms be restored, “including returning to France if she wishes.”
Kermani said: “Legally, her file is considered completed, and legally there should be no problem to leave the country, but this issue has to be reviewed. So ... it is not clear how long it will take.”
Adelkhah has been in prison since her arrest in 2019 during a visit to Iran.
She is one of seven French nationals detained in Iran, a factor that has worsened relations between Paris and Tehran in recent months.
Iranian authorities sentenced Adelkhah in 2020 to five years in prison on national security charges.
They moved her to house arrest later but in January she returned to jail.
Adelkhah has denied the charges.
France has called them “politically motivated” and repeatedly called for the release of the researcher affiliated with Paris’ prestigious Sciences Po university.
In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests.
Kermani said he spoke to Adelkhah following her release on Friday night.
“She is well. She was happy just like any prisoner would be when released from jail and her sentence ends,” he said.