Over a decade ago, a momentous leak of documents by Wikileaks exposed the United States to the global gaze. Now, attention is shifting to China and Iran due to recent leaks revealing their regimes' repressive practices against dissent abroad.
In a matter of weeks, millions of documents from a Chinese cybersecurity company and the Iranian judicial system have exposed the control strategies implemented by both governments.
China hacked the database of neighboring countries
Many of the leaked documents came from Chinese cybersecurity company I-Soon. The information, ranging from marketing data and contract pages to messages between company employees and customers, was published on GitHub and later removed.
These documents exposed how various Chinese government agencies have contracted I-Soon's services to surveil opponents abroad, hack other nations, and spread pro-Beijing narratives on social media.
Although I-Soon's espionage operations were mainly focused on areas such as Hong Kong and the Uyghur Autonomous Region, the leaked documents reveal that its objectives extend globally, also covering other areas of Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Iran's instructions against dissidents
Iran was also recently exposed following the release of more than 3 million files from the Iranian judicial system that unravel secret orders and instructions on the handling of prominent dissidents.
Among the information revealed, a list of more than 20 Iranian athletes abroad stands out since, according to the orders, they would face arrest on the charge of "disturbing the public mind" upon returning to Iran. Furthermore, it is revealed that the Iranian regime has secretly issued verdicts against dozens of journalists and media activists who are outside the country.
Some details about "the management" of the family of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died after being arrested by the police for not wearing her hijab correctly, are also exposed in the leak. Likewise, the documentation also addresses the ban against going out and conducting business imposed on other public figures accused of inciting riots.
It should be noted that Edalat-e Ali (Ali's Justice), a group known for exposing abuses and hacking television stations, was responsible for releasing these documents.
Cooperation between Iran and Russia
Other recently leaked documents revealed detailed information about the close collaboration between Tehran and Moscow in the development and use of drones. According to these files, Russia has acquired at least 6,000 Shahed 136 drones since the start of the war in Ukraine. These drones, manufactured in Iran, have become lethal weapons in the Russian arsenal, being primarily used against civilian targets and power plants in Ukraine.
