The anti-regime protests across Iran, and the IDF announcing that it killed Basij paramilitary leader Gholamreza Soleimani, and his deputy, Seyyed Karishi, in strikes on Tuesday, have brought the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' militia back under the spotlight of media attention.
Basij, a Farsi word roughly translating as "Mobilization," is formally named the Sazman-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin, or "Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed."
It is a paramilitary militia formed of volunteers that makes up one of the five branches of the IRGC, along with the Ground Forces, Aerospace Force, Navy, and Quds Force, respectively.
Gholamreza Soleimai served as its commander from 2019 until he was killed by the IDF on Tuesday.
The group, founded by Islamic Revolution leader and then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini shortly after the revolution succeeded in deposing Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was initially formed of civilian volunteers, often from poor and tribal backgrounds, dissatisfied with Iran's economic and geopolitical issues, who Khomeini succeeded in recruiting to defend the nascent Islamic Republic from Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War.
In recent years, however, the group has been diverted to act as the regime's "Iron Fist," acting as an auxiliary force to suppress anti-regime activity, including protests, and acting as morality police, forming checkpoints and patrols throughout the country.
Basij has been linked with torture, rape of anti-regime activists
The militia has been linked with violent suppression methods and physically abusing anti-regime activists, including torture, rape, and other forms of violent and sexual abuse.
Basij gained wider notoriety in the West during its suppression of the Green Revolution protests following a corruption controversy around the 2009 presidential election results. The militia was also used to suppress protests in 2017-2018.
More notably, the militia violently clamped down on anti-regime protests following the murder of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Amini was beaten to death, allegedly for not wearing her hijab appropriately. Basij militia members have also "enforced" this "moral requirement" for Iranian women in public.
Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in June during the 12-day war, Basij increased its urban patrols, particularly during evening and overnight hours, claiming it was being deployed to "ensure security."
The militia has also been linked with the violent suppression of anti-regime protests across Iran since December, including threatening hospital staff who attempted to provide medical care to injured protesters. A large number of protesters who suffered injuries were likely injured by members of the militia due to their role in suppressing anti-regime acts.
Due to its position within the IRGC umbrella, Basij has been indirectly designated as a terror organization by the US, EU, Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and others.