Ismail Bakhshi Arrested Again After Broadcast of 'Confessions' on Television

Hours after the news of the arrest of Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist, was published, Iranian media confirmed the arrest of Ismail Bakhshi, the representative of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate. The Iranian state television had recently aired 'confessions' from Mr. Bakhshi and Ms. Gholian, which faced widespread reactions. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate stated in a statement that 'a large number of armed forces, accompanied by 15 patrol cars, stormed Ismail Bakhshi's home and arrested him. The identity of the armed individuals was reported as unknown at the time of this news.' Early on Tuesday, January 21, the Fars news agency also confirmed Mr. Bakhshi's arrest, claiming that he was arrested 'before connecting with the team for leaving the country.' Fars did not provide much explanation about this 'team' but accused Mr. Bakhshi of initiating a 'torture project against the regime.' In recent weeks, news regarding the torture of Ismail Bakhshi, the spokesperson for the protesting Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, and Sepideh Gholian, a social and civil activist, has gained widespread attention. Reactions continued after the airing of what the Islamic Republic's state television called their 'confessions.' Mr. Bakhshi was arrested in late November and remained in custody until late December. In his first statements after his release, he said that during the first days of his detention, he was 'tortured and beaten to the point of death without reason or any words.' Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist who was arrested alongside Bakhshi and several other Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers during labor protests, also provided an account of the torture she and Mr. Bakhshi experienced. Following these events, Iranian state television aired a documentary titled 'Burnt Design' on Saturday night. According to Iranian television, this 'documentary' includes interrogation documents of several detained protesters from the labor protests in Ahvaz and the 'confessions' of Sepideh Gholian and Ismail Bakhshi regarding the protests of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers. This 'documentary' describes the activities of Ismail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian as part of a 'foreign conspiracy.' Government and judicial officials have denied the allegations of torture against these two activists. The news of the re-arrest of Ms. Gholian and her brother was published on Sunday. After the broadcast of the 'confessions' on television, she wrote on her Twitter account that the aired 'confessions' were 'another proof of my claims of being tortured during my detention.' Farzaneh Zilabi, Mr. Bakhshi's lawyer, also reacted to the airing of 'Burnt Design,' describing it as 'manipulating public opinion' and 'betraying the people and the audience' of state television, stating that this action constitutes a 'crime.'