Arrest of 13 Individuals in 9 Cities of Iran; Detainees Charged with 'Conspiracy and Collusion Against Internal Security'

The Azerbaijani Political Prisoners Defense Association (ADAP) reported a new wave of mass arrests of Azerbaijani civil activists following the sixteenth of Bahman in various cities. The report indicates that the initial charges against most detainees were 'propaganda against the regime and conspiracy and collusion against internal security,' communicated to them verbally. According to the report, Jafar Mohammadi was arrested in Maragheh; Baqer Hajizadeh, Saeed Jamalzadeh, Araz Aman, and Ayaz Seyfkhah in Tabriz; Taher Naqavi, a lawyer, in Karaj; Abdulaziz Azimi Qadim in Qarchak Varamin; Saeed Minaei in Bonab; Morteza Purvin in Ardabil; Salar Taher Afshar in Urmia; Kamal Noori in Islamshahr; Abdollah Vahedi in Astara; and Saeed Doostan in Ardabil. Ibrahim Mohajer, the public relations officer of ADAP, told Voice of America that among the detainees, Jafar Mohammadi and Saeed Minaei were arrested by public security police, Saeed Doostan was detained after receiving a summons to appear in the Ardabil prosecutor's office regarding charges of 'conspiracy and collusion against internal security,' and others were arrested by intelligence agents. He noted that Baqer Hajizadeh, Saeed Jamalzadeh, Ayaz Seyfkhah, and Araz Aman are held in Tabriz intelligence detention, while Saeed Minaei, Morteza Purvin, Jafar Mohammadi, Abdulaziz Azimi Qadim, Salar Taher Afshar, and Saeed Doostan have been transferred to Evin Prison, where some have been informed that their interrogation will continue. Mr. Mohajer added that Vadood Asadi has been transferred to the martyr unknowns detention center of the Ministry of Intelligence in Rasht, and there is no information available regarding the fate and whereabouts of Abdollah Vahedi, Kamal Noori, and Taher Naqavi. Additionally, hundreds of users on Instagram have called for the release of political prisoners in Iran. According to ADAP, most detainees have previously been arrested or imprisoned, and according to their family members, the arrests of these activists often involve intimidation, violence, and the confiscation of their phones, laptops, and books. ADAP reported that the detainees have only managed to make one short one-minute call to their families, and security and judicial authorities have refused to provide any further information to the families of the detainees. The Azerbaijani Political Prisoners Defense Association in Iran added that the process of arresting and interrogating imprisoned activists has been conducted illegally and extrajudicially, with numerous legal violations such as 'denial of access to a lawyer and other essentials in the judicial process and abduction of individuals without a summons accompanied by violence and intimidation and creating a psychological atmosphere' being repeatedly applied. ADAP noted that 'it seems that given the likelihood of a new wave of street protests, the Islamic Republic's regime has intensified its repression of ethnic, religious, and national minorities.' The first wave of arrests coincided with the approaching anniversary of the protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police last September, and several detainees, such as Ibrahim Rashidi (Savalan), Yurosh Mehrali Bigloo, and others remain unlawfully detained. Increased pressure on Azerbaijani activists; the arrest and transfer of Mokhtar Ebrahimi to Maragheh Prison. Several protesting residents of the village of Qara Qashlaq in West Azerbaijan Province were released. Mohammad Maleki, a civil activist in Zanjan, was summoned to serve his prison sentence. Ibrahim Rashidi, a journalist, was arrested in Mohakian city. Ashkan Saadatmehr, one of the detainees from the 1401 protests, was sentenced in absentia to 7 years in prison. Javad Soodbar and Ali Babaei were temporarily released after 100 days of detention. Hadi Gholizadeh, a political activist, was arrested.