Iran freezes bank accounts of exiled dissidents’ families

Iranian authorities have placed more than 2,191 bank accounts on lists targeting dissidents living abroad and their relatives, in preparation for freezing and confiscating them. This move coincides with expanded security and judicial measures that now include the seizure of homes, businesses, and savings belonging to the families of opposition figures, in an effort to pressure and silence them, according to an investigation by The New York Times.

The investigation revealed that in September alone, Iranian authorities identified 394 dissidents residing outside the country, including journalists, artists, athletes, and activists. Measures have also extended to some of their relatives, with bank accounts frozen and assets and businesses seized inside Iran.

The newspaper documented these practices through testimonies from 12 Iranians and lawyers, as well as court records showing that the savings of family members were targeted because of the activities of their relatives abroad. This demonstrates that the measures reach families of those engaged in opposition activities outside Iran.

According to the investigation, Iranian security and judicial agencies have used the freezing of bank accounts and confiscation of homes and businesses owned by relatives of dissidents as tools of pressure, as part of a growing campaign against families of opposition figures living abroad.