Basij

The Basij, formally the Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed, is a volunteer paramilitary organization inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and one of the five branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was established by decree of Ruhollah Khomeini in November 1979 and officially founded in April 1980, and it serves as a civilian auxiliary to the Guard Corps. Its activities include enforcing state morality regulations, organizing pro-government rallies, suppressing dissident demonstrations and providing social services. Recruitment historically drew heavily on poor, tribal and rural communities, and the Basij supplied a major share of the manpower of the Iran-Iraq War. Its members, known as basijis, come largely from religious and politically loyalist segments of Iranian society, along with volunteers who receive official benefits. The organization has been implicated in human rights violations during the suppression of domestic unrest and has been sanctioned or designated by several governments and international bodies.