Another Iranian-American and his wife arrested in Tehran

A Zoroastrian citizen revealed in a letter addressed to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic that his brother, who holds dual Iranian-American citizenship, along with his brother's wife, has been detained since August. He also complained about the actions of 'unknown' individuals for 'extortion' from the families of these two prisoners in exchange for their release. Kateh Vafadari stated in this letter, published on Friday, December 3, on the website of the International Human Rights Campaign, that her brother, Karan Vafadari, and his wife, Afrin Nissari, have been in detention since August, and during their detention, 'family members have faced fabricated charges for financial extortion, property seizure, and security threats.' Karan Vafadari holds dual Iranian-American citizenship and is the director of the 'An' art gallery in Tehran. Ms. Vafadari claims that security agents went to his gallery after her brother's arrest and 'sealed the gallery after confiscating and breaking some artworks.' She reveals in this letter that the statements made by the Tehran prosecutor in recent months about the arrest of 'two Iranians with dual citizenship' and 'the discovery of alcoholic beverages' in their home refer to Karan Vafadari and his wife. Kateh Vafadari, however, reminds that in Zoroastrianism, 'there is no difference between alcoholic beverages and, for example, vinegar; both are products used in home and life,' so that a Zoroastrian may 'drink wine during mourning, and this is normal.' She then emphasizes that the detention of a religious minority solely for having alcoholic beverages at home is 'a violation of the regulations of a multi-religious society and customary principles.' In mid-August of this year, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, stated that judicial agents had 'discovered' a house belonging to two Iranians with dual citizenship, which contained 'four thousand liters of alcoholic beverages,' and that this house was essentially prepared for 'holding mixed parties and corruption for some diplomats from foreign countries and Iranians.' Kateh Vafadari, however, rejects the corruption allegations in this case, writing: 'The composition of guests depends on one's work and life. Criticizing the composition of Karan and Afrin's guests as accusations from the esteemed prosecutor's office is baseless. The ordinary life and work of individuals should be safe.' She adds: 'For us, due to customs and tradition, our parties can be mixed, and of course, 'pure' parties are devoid of the mixture of men and women...' The case of Karan Vafadari and his wife Afrin Nissari was also the subject of a speech by a representative from Shahin Shahr in the Islamic Consultative Assembly last month, who accused the couple of 'extorting' their guests. Hossein Ali Hajideligani stated: 'A young couple named Karan and Afrin with dual citizenship entered the country. Go find out their information and see what happens to artists and notable individuals in this country. In some places, alcohol is consumed through piping, and they film it and then threaten and extort that if you do not cooperate, we will publish these.' Kateh Vafadari, however, considers these accusations a means 'to shut down artistic venues and intimidate artists' and writes that after the speech of the Shahin Shahr representative in the parliament, 'the threats, either by phone or in person from unknown individuals for financial extortion and security threats against the family members of these two prisoners have significantly increased.' Ms. Vafadari ultimately stated that 'differences in lifestyle are not a reason for the detention of these two individuals,' and she has asked the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic to facilitate their release. In recent months, several dual citizens have also been arrested and imprisoned in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari, Kamal Faroughi, and Siamak Namazi, along with Reza Shahini, who are Iranian-American citizens, are among these individuals.