Pro-Government Militias
Ansar-e Hezbollah (Iran)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 243 |
| Country: | Iran |
| Date formed: | March 21, 1991 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Hoseyn Allahkaram, a former military officer, founded the group in 1991. It began as a grassroot movement in Tehran and belongs to the Iranian Hezbollah movement. It was intended to consolidate Khomeyni’s power after the revolution in 1979. (Wikipedia) |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The PGM is not terminated. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | unclear |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister |
| If link to party, name of party: | |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Teheran, Mashhad |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 4000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; journalists; students |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect state, national or religious leader(s); intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Ansar-e Hezbollah is a group of fundamentalists, loyal to Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati and led by Haju Bakhshi. Its efforts are mainly directed at purging Iran of Western values. The name means "Supporters of the Party of God". Within Iran they were occasionally known as the "plain clothes." The first operations are reported in October 1995. The PGM has connections to the Council of Guardians and is loyal to conservative high level religious leaders within the government. Furthermore, it is fiercely loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and is believed to enjoy his full support. Most members are also members of the Basij, the volunteer paramilitary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The militia is a far-right organization that suppresses all political opposition and internal threats to the principles of the Islamic Revolution. It was created by a former military officer to consolidate Ayatollah Khomeyni’s power after the revolution in 1979 and is loyal to the Supreme Leader. (Wikipedia) |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia uses violence against all potential political threats to the Supreme Leader and is in turn protected by him. (Wikipedia) |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing; beating |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Most members are veterans of the Iran-Iraq War or members of the Basij militia. (Wikipedia) |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The militia has about 4,000 members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Ansar-e-Hezbollah receives formal training by the Iranian government and is sponsored by several government clerics. (Wikipedia) |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The militia belongs to the broader movement of the Iranian Hezbollah which was founded in post-revolutionist Iran by Ayatollah Khomeyni to consolidate his power. The group was not created by Khomeyni, but by a former military officer and pledges loyalty to the Supreme Leader. The militia is highly organized as they have a general secretary and other coordination leaders. (Wikipedia) |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.