Ejei: The Charge Against Abbas Adalat is Security-Related

Following reports about the detention of Abbas Adalat, a professor at Imperial College London who had traveled to Tehran, the spokesperson for Iran's judiciary confirmed the news and deemed the reason for his arrest as 'security-related' without providing further details. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy and spokesperson of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, confirmed the news during a press conference on Sunday, April 9, in response to questions regarding Mr. Adalat's arrest, stating, 'I confirm this news, as some media outlets had doubts about the very fact of the arrest.' Mr. Mohseni Ejei labeled the charge against Abbas Adalat as 'security-related' but refrained from elaborating until the charges are proven and 'his connections with groups and individuals are clarified.' Abbas Adalat, an Iranian-British citizen and a professor of mathematics and computer science at Imperial College London, was arrested about two weeks ago at the home of a relative and transferred to Evin Prison. The Iran Human Rights Campaign, which identifies Abbas Adalat as a 'well-known anti-war activist,' reported that he was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to this campaign, citing reliable sources, security agents also raided Mr. Adalat's home in Tehran and confiscated his belongings, including his computer, CDs, and notes. Furthermore, despite Mr. Adalat's family providing the necessary bail for his release on April 1, 1397 (April 2020), he remains in custody. The arrest of Abbas Adalat in Tehran comes at a time when at least two other Iranian-British citizens, Kamal Foroughi and Nazanin Zaghari, were arrested by the IRGC in 1390 (2011) and 1395 (2016), respectively. It is estimated that since the signing of the nuclear agreement in Mordad 95 (August 2016), at least 30 dual nationals have been detained by the IRGC, including Siamak and Baqer Namazi, Karan Vafadari, Morad Tahbaz, Nizar Zaka, Kamran Ghaderi, Kamal Foroughi, Ahmadreza Jalali, and Sabri Hassanpour. Iranian security officials are strongly opposed to the employment of dual nationals in managerial positions, and in a recent case, they forced Kaveh Madani, the deputy head of the Environmental Protection Organization, to resign and leave Iran after labeling him as an 'Iranian-British spy.' However, Mr. Madani stated that he holds no citizenship other than Iran's and has been under severe pressure and control since his arrival in the country. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, in his press conference on Sunday, referred to Kaveh Madani's resignation, stating that no report was provided that would 'strengthen suspicion' against him, and therefore 'there was no need for this issue to be pursued.' Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, had previously rejected the 'security' and 'espionage' accusations against Kaveh Madani and stated that the Ministry of Intelligence is the authority to determine espionage issues. However, Mohseni Ejei merely remarked on Sunday, 'This is not correct.' The spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary also reacted to the release of a video showing a young girl being beaten by 'morality police,' labeling the girl's actions as 'rebellion' and calling the filming of the incident a 'crime.' Mohseni Ejei described the girl's refusal to comply with the order of an officer instructing her to 'observe hijab' as 'rebellion' and stated, 'They rebel, and they propagate, as they do organized work.' This judicial official stated without providing details that filming, if 'organized and pre-planned,' is a crime. The release of the video showing a girl being beaten by a morality police officer has sparked various reactions over the past week, with officials from the Islamic Republic and conservative media labeling the incident as 'pre-planned,' 'artificial,' 'hysteria,' and 'defiance.' Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of the country, stated, 'It was clear from the filming that the incident was planned.' Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, also supported the police's actions against 'improper hijab,' stating that the police 'should not take a single step back.' The release of the video of the morality police's attack on a young girl has led to a wave of criticism and protest on social media, with several government officials and representatives criticizing the violence of the morality police or implicitly questioning the 13-year performance of the morality police. However, the commander of the police stated that the police would not be influenced by 'hysteria.'