MUST READ: Source: Torture not hacking led to the Iranian takedown of hra-iran.org

The Tech Herald

It was about 7:30 p.m. EST when our cell phone used for security news rang. On the line was Ahmad-Batbi, a spokesman for HRA-Iran.org. His side of the story relating to the events that resulted in the IRGC led shutdown of 29 websites shocked us. The IRGC said they hacked the sites to take them down, but he said the 30 people arrested were tortured for their access.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its cyber teams hacked 29 websites linked to US espionage. In addition, 30 people were arrested on charges of waging a US-backed cyber war.

The IRGC’s claims were backed by two state news agencies, IRNA and FARS, who reported that the sites taken down were linked to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, and other US-backed war networks…

Ahmad-Batbi explained that the 30 people arrested in the takedown operation performed by the IRGC were tortured for their access to the various websites, and as such the sites were taken down by physical violence, and not hacking.

"They have 30 members of our group held hostage, including the sister of one of our members, who has nothing to do with this matter. Each of the 30 hostages is a human rights activist and nothing more," he stressed.

Those arrested, Iranian officials say, were linked to efforts to fight against filtering in the country, as well as creating a secure telephone and data communication ground for making interviews with Radio Farda, Radio Zamaneh, Voice of America and other western media. Those are just some of the charges, there were others including creating security for Internet users.
Because of those charges, according to our conversation with Ahmad-Batbi and a report by Reporters Without Borders, they are dissidents, considered “mohared” or enemies of God, and could face death by hanging.

The Revolutionary Guards is the military group founded shortly after Iran's 1979 revolution. The group includes Intelligence, Navy, Army, and Air Force units, as well as the Basij paramilitary force. The Basij is touted as the group behind all of the physical punishment handed out to protestors during last summer’s elections in Iran.Recently, a senior commander of the IRCG underlined the force's willingness to confront all types of enemy threats against the Iranian nation. The unspoken meaning in the statement is that they are willing to go to extremes to do this.