Judiciary Spokesman: No Evidence of Saeed Zinali's Arrest Exists

Despite the fact that Saeed Zinali's family had previously announced that judicial authorities confirmed their son's arrest in 1999, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary states, "So far, no evidence of his arrest has been obtained." According to Fars News Agency, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei announced in a press conference on Sunday, January 3, that, "I have followed this issue in the past and asked those claiming his arrest to provide me with evidence or even a clue regarding this matter, but they did not have even a hint." Mr. Mohseni Ejei addressed the journalist who raised the question, saying, "If you say one of the security branches has confirmed this arrest, tell me so that I can follow this up and find out why this person has not reported it until now or if they have reported it, to whom they reported it." He emphasized that "it is impossible for someone to be arrested and for this arrest to remain concealed or to be hidden." Saeed Zinali's family has stated that he was arrested on the morning of July 13, 1999, a few days after the attack on Tehran University dormitories, when he was 22 years old, in the presence of his mother, and since that date, there has been no information about his status. The Zinali family has repeatedly stated that institutions such as the prosecutor's office and the police have acknowledged that their son was arrested and promised his release. Akram Naqabi, Saeed Zinali's mother, had previously stated in an interview with Rooz Online that "Mr. Touraj, the deputy of Evin Prison," informed her that her son "had been imprisoned in Evin until 2002." She stated that her son called home three months after his arrest to inform them that he was imprisoned. Hashem Zinali, the father, Elnaz Zinali, the sister, and Akram Naqabi, the mother of Saeed Zinali, have been arrested in recent years. After their release, they reported that security forces had asked them during interrogations not to pursue Saeed Zinali's case. In the most recent incident, Hashem Zinali, Saeed's father, was arrested on Saturday, November 21, during a gathering in front of Evin Prison along with several others and was released after a few days. Reports indicate that on July 9, 1999, police and forces known as plainclothes attacked the dormitories of Tehran University students. The Islamic Republic officials have only acknowledged the murder of Ezzatollah Ebrahimnejad, a law graduate from Chamran University of Ahvaz, during this incident, but no one has been arrested in connection with his murder. However, some political groups, including the Office for Strengthening Unity, have stated that other individuals were also killed in this incident. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoeini, a representative of the sixth parliament, had previously stated that Fareshteh Alizadeh, a student at Alzahra University, was "abducted and disappeared" following the events at Tehran University dormitories.