Arrest of Shaker Bouri, Government-Critical Satirist, in Abadan; Two Citizens Arrested in Nowshahr

Shaker Bouri, a government-critical satirist residing in Khuzestan, and two citizens from Nowshahr were arrested in recent days. According to human rights sources, Shaker Bouri, who used social and political issues as the basis for his visual satire, was arrested on August 1 after visiting the Intelligence Office of the IRGC in Abadan. Previously, security agents had temporarily detained Shaker Bouri at his home and confiscated his mobile phone. Shaker Bouri criticized current issues in Iran and statements by officials of the Islamic Republic on his Instagram page, which has 1.2 million followers. The last segment of Shaker Bouri's published satire on YouTube, titled 'I Dressed in a Shroud for Money,' was released five days ago, on Saturday, July 29. No news has been published yet regarding the charges against this satirist or his place of detention. Meanwhile, Meysam Gholami, a former political prisoner, and another citizen were also arrested by security forces in Nowshahr on Wednesday, August 2. According to Hrana, security agents arrested 37-year-old Meysam Gholami at his workplace and confiscated some of his personal belongings, including his mobile phone. Simultaneously, one of Meysam Gholami's friends was also arrested, but the identity of this citizen has not been disclosed yet. No information has been released regarding the details of the charges or the place of detention for these two individuals. Meysam Gholami was previously arrested in October of last year during widespread protests in Kabudarahang and was released after about two weeks on bail from Alvand Prison in Hamadan.