Yes they are - recall that the Islamic revolution was predicated on the very same grounds of abuse and terror that is currently the environment in Iran. They are terrified because if it happened once, it can happen again. They also know that they butchered as many of those connected to the previous regime (the prior government to the Islamic Republic of Iran) - so now it is a matter of life and death, in their minds.
It is terror, plain and simple, exercised on a populace fed up with oppression. This is not god abuse - it is people abuse! It is they who are being harmed!
It is terror, plain and simple, exercised on a populace fed up with oppression. This is not god abuse - it is people abuse! It is they who are being harmed!