Kiumars Marzban, Iranian Satirist, Arrested

Human rights sources report that Kiumars Marzban, a satirist and cultural activist, has been arrested by the Intelligence Protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran. Human Rights Watch stated: "On Sunday, September 4, agents of the IRGC visited the home of Kiumars Marzban, a writer and cultural activist, and arrested him, taking his laptop, mobile phone, and educational documents with them." This human rights organization in New York also mentioned that Kiumars Marzban's case is under investigation at Branch 1 of the Evin Prosecutor's Office, and he has not yet been allowed to meet with his relatives. Meanwhile, a source informed the Human Rights Campaign that Kiumars Marzban was arrested one year after returning to Iran. According to the report, Mr. Marzban had returned to Iran to visit his "sick grandmother" and had not faced any issues during the past year. Reports indicate that Mr. Marzban has not had any meetings with his family since his arrest, and the charges and reasons for his detention have not been announced. The Human Rights Campaign states that this Iranian satirist is deprived of access to a lawyer in prison. One of Mr. Marzban's friends told the Human Rights Campaign in Iran: "Kiumars loved writing and has grown significantly in this field over the years, despite being very young. He had no political affiliations with individuals or political groups, and his main concern was writing and literary activities. It is astonishing for us that he has been arrested and at the same time, rumors are circulating against him that are not true." It is reported that Kiumars Marzban had established writing and screenwriting classes after returning to Iran in 2017.