3 Members of Human Rights Reporters Committee Arrested

Committee of Human Rights Reporters

Shiva Nazar Ahari and Koohyar Goodarzi, members of Human Rights Reporters Committee and Mahboobe Abasgholizade, women’s activist were arrested. Based on the news we received, around 21:30 on Sunday December 20, a bus full of social activists and families of political prisoners that was going toward Qom for the burial of late Ayatollah Montazeri was stopped by security forces in Enqelab square. After 45 minutes of searching, confiscating IDs and mobile phones of passengers, the three activists were singled out, based on a pre-determined list, and were arrested.

There is no news on the status of those arrested or where they were taken. It is to be noted that Shiva Nazar Ahari was arrested on Sunday June 14th. After about four months she was finally released with a 2,000,000,000 Rials (around 200,000 USD) bail. After Shiva Nazar Ahari and Koohyar Goodarzi were arrested, the number of people arrested from our committee in post-election months reached four people. Sayid Jalali Far and Sayid Kalanaki have been in Evin Prison since December 1st and this is while other members of the committee have also been repeatedly summoned and threatened by security bodies.

Correction: based on follow ups, we learned that Mahnaz Mohammadiwas not among those arrested today. We hereby refute the news of her arrest and further confirm the arrest of Shiva Nazar Ahari, Koohyar Goodarzi, and Mahbobe Abasgholizade.