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Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) - VEVAK |
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The Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) is ranked by experts
as one of the largest and most active intelligence agencies in the
world. And yet it has been shrouded in so much mystery that apart from
occasional revelations, little has ever been made public about its
operations and functions. The notable exception to this came in 1998,
when a series of gruesome murders of Iranian dissidents by MOIS hit
squads led to the disclosure of a catalogue of crimes that had been
committed by MOIS agents for more than a decade.
The clerical leaders blamed all the criminal activities of the MOIS on
its then-Deputy Minister Saeed Emami, who was arrested and duly
reported to have committed suicide in jail by drinking a hair remover
potion. The bizarre account of Emami’s death in prison while under
round-the-clock supervision convinced no one and it was widely assumed
that he was murdered in order to prevent the leak of sensitive
information about MOIS operations, which would have compromised the
entire leadership of the Islamic Republic.
The MOIS is no ordinary intelligence agency. It has been behind most of
the 450 acts of terrorism the Iranian regime has sponsored around the
world since the 1980s. It has a vast network of companies and offices
around the world that act as fronts for its illegal operations. It
conducts its espionage activities and surveillance operations against
Iranian dissidents on every continent. It is involved in the illegal
procurement of arms and weapons of mass destruction technology and
materials. On the domestic scene, it is the principal agency
responsible for dealing with opposition groups and dissidents. Its hit
squads routinely abduct, torture and murder suspects at will, without
any fear of accountability or punishment. In short, the MOIS is a
murder machine.
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