Paris?based lawyer and rights activist Chirinne Ardakani said it was "a destabilisation and propaganda operation apparently orchestrated by Iranian agents in the digital sphere to sabotage the name of our association and its commitment to exposing the crimes committed".

The domain name takeover comes as Iran reels from protests that challenged the country's clerical leadership and saw thousands killed in a crackdown, according to rights groups.

The Iran Justice site reentered the public domain in recent days because the association had not renewed its license, Ardakani said. When the group went to renew it they "had the very unpleasant surprise" that it had been purchased by someone else.

"We also discovered that our site had been completely rebuilt, our content wiped and replaced with pro?regime material," added the lawyer, a fierce critic of Iranian authorities.

The new version of the site, whose homepage now displays the flag of the Islamic republic, presents itself as a news outlet on Iran and the Arab world.

It contains articles in French -- the oldest dated January 22 -- with titles such as "What is the role of the supreme leader in Iran and why is it central to the regime?" and "What is the current situation in Iran in 2026?", accompanied by images visibly generated by artificial intelligence.

The site is registered under the name "Ano Nymous", while the previous registration had been made under the name of a law firm at its professional address.

The lawyer heading the firm was a member of the association's board and administered the site on its behalf, Ardakani said.

"The aim is to sow confusion about an alleged complicity of associations with the Islamic republic. The narrative of the 'fake opposition' is regularly used by the regime to discredit dissidents," said Ardakani, saying she is considering legal action.

Ardakani founded Iran Justice, made up of legal experts and human rights activists, in October 2022, after the start of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.