Advisor to Mehdi Karroubi Arrested Upon Return to Iran

Ismail Gharami-Moghadam, spokesperson for the National Trust Party and an advisor to Mehdi Karroubi, who had been living abroad in recent years, was arrested on Friday, July 26, upon his return to Iran. According to Saham News, which covers news related to Mehdi Karroubi and the National Trust Party, Mr. Gharami-Moghadam was transferred directly to Evin Prison after his arrest. Reports from both Khabar Online and Saham News indicate that the National Trust Party spokesperson has completely lost his eyesight while living abroad. Ismail Gharami-Moghadam left Iran after the 2009 elections and the closure of the National Trust Party's office. He was a representative from Bojnord in the seventh Islamic Consultative Assembly. Reports indicate that during his time abroad, he continued his education in India and Malaysia. The widespread crackdowns and arrests following the 2009 presidential elections led to many political-social activists and journalists leaving Iran. Some, like Siraj al-Din Mirdamadi and Saeed Razavi-Faqih, have returned to Iran in recent years, but they were also arrested and imprisoned. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has announced that individuals who have engaged in 'sedition' abroad will be arrested and tried upon their return to Iran, or tried in absentia if they do not return. The spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary recently reported the sentencing of five individuals involved in the protests against the 2009 presidential election, referred to as 'sedition' by him. According to Mohseni Ejei, some of these individuals had returned to Iran, while others reside within the country. He did not mention the names or the duration of the sentences for these individuals.