Exclusive to Voice of America | Five Weeks Without News on the Condition of Imprisoned Actor in Tehran

A source informed Voice of America that since the arrest of Mehdi Etemad Saeed, a theater actor and personal skills facilitator, approximately five weeks ago, there has been no information on his condition or whereabouts except for a few brief phone calls. It has been reported that Mehdi Etemad Saeed was arrested on June 9 of this year while engaged in 'play therapy' with children at Laleh Park in Tehran by plainclothes and security forces of the Islamic Republic. He has only had a few short calls with his family and has not been allowed to have a lawyer. This method of dealing by the security and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic, aimed at exerting pressure on prisoners, has been criticized by human rights organizations. It has also been reported that since his arrest, his home and workplace have been searched by security agents, his wife's personal phone has been confiscated, and many of his colleagues and family members have also been interrogated by security forces. Mehdi Etemad Saeed is a facilitator of soft skills development courses through participatory games in organizations and has been running the social project Partap for about seven years as a social responsibility. He independently and non-profitably engages in play with children in parks or rural and underprivileged areas. The International Women's Media Foundation has called Iranian female journalists a symbol of courage. Reyhaneh Ansari Nejad was sentenced to four years in prison. Reza Mohammadi was deprived of contact with his family by the order of the head of Evin prison. Continued pressure on women activists; the trial of 'Zeynab Zaman' and the entry of 'Anisha Asadollahi' into prison.