Details of the Arrest of 'James Beidin'; Warning About the Possibility of Forced Confessions Being Broadcast

The lawyer of Amirhossein Mousavi, a protesting citizen who was arrested in Tehran in late Azar, confirmed that his client was identified and arrested 'through six months of covert surveillance on the account of James Beidin.' Reza Shafaghi, the lawyer, informed on Thursday, February 25, by publishing several texts about his client, stating: 'Some kept this fact hidden out of ignorance and mostly due to mission, so that during the two weeks of ignorance about his arrest, they could also arrest other anonymous accounts.' Mr. Shafaghi also emphasized that 'under any circumstances, informing about the accused guarantees his rights,' adding, 'For two months, I have been condemned to suffocation from the fear of seeing' his client Amirhossein Mousavi on 'state television' (broadcasting forced confessions on the Islamic Republic's government television). According to this lawyer, two months after the arrest of Amirhossein Mousavi, who was reportedly active on the social media platform X under the pseudonym 'James Beidin,' 'not even one domestic journalist has followed up on the arrest status' of this protesting citizen. Amirhossein Mousavi and Shabnam Hosseinzadeh, a protesting couple, were arrested by the Islamic Republic's intelligence agents in Tehran in late Azar. Six weeks after the arrest of these two protesting citizens, a source close to them told Voice of America that Ms. Hosseinzadeh had been released in recent days, but 'is in very bad condition.' According to this informed source, although 'interrogation is over,' the Islamic Republic's intelligence officials are trying to use the opportunity of ignorance about them 'to identify anonymous users by creating doubt among the people.' A source close to Amirhossein Mousavi also emphasized that 'our silence means helping to trap the rest' of the users, warning that 'after the arrest of protesting citizens, if the authorities gain access to their social media accounts, they will use their accounts for government purposes and to create doubt about the identity of some opposition users active on social media.' The arrest of protesting citizens in Iran has been reported multiple times by various news sources and even confirmed in some cases by government media. Last month, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in a statement that they had arrested a number of protesting citizens, introducing them as 'affiliated with royalist groups' without mentioning the identities of the detainees. Also see: Ambiguity in the fate of several arrested citizens; IRGC: 'They were royalists.' Statements from a former military member who was arrested for supporting the 2021 protests. A protesting couple in Tehran remains 'in solitary confinement' one month after their arrest. Several arrests in Dehdasht; protesters on the anniversary of the 1979 revolution: Seyed Ali must fall. A report from a human rights organization on a new wave of repression and threats against lawyers in Iran. The father of the justice seeker Mohammad Mehdi Karami was sentenced to one year in prison.