Arrest of the Son of a Witness from the 'Aban People's Tribunal' in Iran After Being Deported from Turkey

According to reports, agents of the Islamic Republic arrested Arya Yousefi, the son of Fatemeh Davand, a witness from the 'Aban People's Tribunal,' after he was deported from Turkey. The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that Iranian government agents detained 18-year-old Arya Yousefi from Boukan at the Makou border and transferred him to the Makou Intelligence Office. Turkey had returned him to Iran on Tuesday, August 23. According to this report, the 18-year-old youth, along with his mother, Fatemeh Davand, a former political prisoner, was returned to Iran through the Bazargan border, but Fatemeh Davand managed to escape. The Iran Human Rights Organization had previously reported that Fatemeh Davand and her son, Arya Yousefi, were arrested after attempting to 'exit without documents' from Turkey. This human rights organization warned of the 'risk of death, imprisonment, abuse, and torture' for Fatemeh Davand if returned to Iran and urged the Turkish government to prevent the deportation of this witness from the 'Aban People's Tribunal.' On November 25, 2019, during the Aban People's Tribunal, Fatemeh Davand stated that she was arrested during the nationwide protests against the sudden rise in gasoline prices and was 'subjected to torture.' In separate cases in the cities of Boukan and Mahabad, this protester was tried on charges including 'disturbing public order and comfort' and 'conspiracy against national security' and was sentenced to imprisonment and flogging. She testified online at the 'Aban People's Tribunal' about the suppression of the nationwide protests in November 2019 by the Islamic Republic. Reuters reported that the number of fatalities during the November 2019 protests in Iran was around 1,500. Concerns about the status of witnesses from the 'Aban People's Tribunal' who have settled in neighboring countries continue. Fatemeh Khushrou, another witness from the 'Aban People's Tribunal,' recently reported that her asylum request was rejected by the Georgian Refugee Agency. The NGO 'Justice for Iran,' which is among the organizers of the Aban People's Tribunal, had previously urged the governments of Turkey and Georgia to adhere to their commitments under the Refugee Convention and international human rights laws and to protect the right to asylum for Fatemeh Davand and Fatemeh Khushrou.