Three Members of the 'Voice of Iranians' Party Arrested by Security Forces

A website close to the opposition in Iran has reported that three members of the newly established 'Voice of Iranians' Party were arrested on Monday night, December 8, and transferred to an unknown location. The 'Kalameh' website, associated with Mir Hossein Mousavi, a candidate who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, specified in a report that these three individuals were arrested at their private residence by security agents. Mohsen Beiglarbeigi, Javid Fakhrian, and Sina Rahimpour are the three detained members of the Voice of Iranians Party. The site added, 'The location of the arrest of these young reformist activists, all of whom are members of the Neda Party, was searched by agents, and their personal belongings were also confiscated.' No report has yet been published regarding the reason for the arrest of these individuals, and the security apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not reacted to this news. Meanwhile, some websites close to hardline conservatives have stated that the mentioned individuals were 'active and experienced members of the sedition movement' who were arrested in what they claimed was 'a mixed house of corruption.' The 'Mashregh News' website, which is affiliated with security institutions, wrote on Tuesday that the arrested individuals are 'key members of the illegal group 'Reformist Youth Club' active in cyberspace.' According to this site, 'During the arrest of the suspects, in addition to bottles of alcoholic beverages, several listening devices, electric shockers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other items used for propaganda against the regime and communication with anti-revolutionary and sedition networks were discovered and confiscated.' The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Interior announced on December 1 that the Party Licensing Commission had issued a permit for the 'Voice of Iranians' Party. Sadegh Khrazi, a former representative of Iran at the United Nations and a reformist close to the Islamic Republic, is among the founders of this party. Several other younger members, mainly from the Participation Front and the election campaigns of Mir Hossein Mousavi, are founding members of this party. In its first statement, the 'Voice of Iranians' emphasized 'reformism' and 'avoidance of extremism,' adding that it seeks to 'strengthen democracy and institutionalize the eight-point message of Imam Khomeini.'