Info:
Ansar-e Hizbullah, or Followers of the Party of God or more literally Helpers of Hizbullah in Persian, is said to be a semi-official, paramilitary group;
It is thought to be financed and protected by many senior government clerics. It is often characterized as a vigilante group as they use force but are not part of government law enforcement, although it may not meet the strict definition of the word inasmuch as the group pledge loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei and is thought to be protected by him;
The Ansar-e-Hezbollah is known for attacking protesters at anti-government demonstrations, in particular during the Iran student riots, July 1999;
Ansar-E Hezbollah have been behind public physical assaults on two reformist government ministers in Sept. 1998;
Ansar-e-Hezbollah is thought to have been behind death threats and a “series of physical assaults” on philosopher and ex-hardliner Abdolkarim Soroush “that left him bruised, battered and often in tattered clothes.”;
The organization has been associated with a crackdown on “mal-veiling”, i.e. the wearing of a hejab by a woman such that some hair is visible, which has been blamed in Iran for inciting sexual assaults. They operate Yalasarat, a newspaper and associated website that explain the official positions of hardliners in the Iranian government on female behavior;
On 18 June 2009 the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that “hard-line Ansar-e Hezbollah militiamen warned that they would be patrolling the streets to maintain law and order.”
Most of the members of Ansar e Hezbollah are either members of the Basij militias or veterans of the Iran–Iraq War;
OFAC is designating Ansar-e Hizballah for its role in serious human rights abuses in Iran;
Additionally, OFAC designated three individuals for acting for or on behalf of the organization;
Ansar-e Hizballah was designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13553 for being an official of the Government of Iran or a person acting on behalf of the Government of Iran (including members of paramilitary organizations) who is responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing;
Ansar-e Hizballah has been involved in the violent suppression of Iranian citizens and has collaborated with the Basij to violently attack Iranian students with knives, tear gas, and electric batons. The Basij Resistance Force was designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 on June 9, 2011 for committing serious human rights abuses in Iran.
An organization supported by the Iranian regime that harasses and attacks the Iranian people, Ansar-e Hizballah has been linked to acid attacks against women in the city of Isfahan. Multiple women who were not dressed in accordance with the regime’s standards had acid thrown at them, severely injuring them and creating a climate of fear.
Also Known As:
Ansar-E Hizballah
Ansar Hezbollah
Ansar Ul Hezbollah
Ansar-I Hezbollah
Ansar-I Hizbullah
Supporters of the party of God
Ideology:
Islamism
Islamic Fundamentalism
Social conservatism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Liberalism
Anti-Western
Established:
1990
1993
1995
Involved In:
Human Rights Violations
Country:
Iran
Address:
Tehran, Iran
Person of interests:
Abdolhamid Mohtasham (General Secretary)
Hossein Allahkaram (Coordination head)
Hamid Ostad (Mashhad leader)
Sadeq Ashk-Talkh (Kermanshah leader)
Ruhollah Bejani (Tabriz leader)
Komeyl Kave (Isfahan leader)