New Releases, New Arrests in Iran

Ahmad Jalali Farahani, Yashar Darolshafai and Keyvan Farzin were released from prison this week, while journalist and researcher Ali Moazami was arrested and put behind bars.

Keyvan Farzin who is a musician critic and member of Farhang va Ahang (Culture and Music) magazine was arrested in the magazine’s offices following the religious Ashoora events, along with Behrang Tonkaboni, the chief editor of this monthly. His bail was set at 70 thousand USD, a very high amount by Iranian standards, although quiet common nowadays in Iran. Tonkaboni had been released last week, along with Arvin Sedaghat-Kish, another editorial member of the magazine.

Farahani, a journalist who worked for semi official Mehr news agency was arrested the day after he was fired from the news agency, on February 6th, and was released this week from Evin prison in Tehran.

Darolshafai is one of seven family members arrested who was released on a 70 thousand USD bail. Now only Abolhassan Darolshafai remains behind bars from this family.

Ali Moazami Arrested

Moazami walked into an office of the ministry of intelligence in Tehran last Sunday, where he was immediately arrested for undisclosed reasons. His family enquired about the arrest from the office but was not given any answer. Moazami is a veteran journalist who had worked for Shargh newspaper. Prior to his arrest he was working on his PhD dissertation in philosophy with the prestigious Anjomane Hekmat va Falsafe Iran (The Society of Knowledge and Philosophy of Iran).

Ahmad Ghabel in Chains

Ghabel is a religious scholar who contacted his family last week and informed them that he had been taken to a revolutionary court in chains. According to Kalameh website, Ghabel told his interrogators and prison officials, “You want to humiliate me, but I do not see anything other than beauty.” Ghabel told officials that he had already had other suits against him, in special clerical courts in Tehran and Mashhad. He was told that the court in Mashhad did not recognize his religious qualifications and ranking (i.e. that he was a cleric). His passport and house had been confiscated by the clerical court. Ghabel had been transferred to the quarantine section of Mashhad’s Vakilabad prison after spending 70 days under arrest.

No News on Farzaneh Ghasemi

A month after the arrest of Farzaneh Ghasemi, her case is still in limbo. Ms Ghasemi was arrested in her own house on February 10 by security agents and some of her personal belongings such as her computer were confiscated upon her arrest. According to Nedaye Sabz Azadi, Ghasemi scored the fourth highest rank in the national university entrance examinations in which millions participate every year. She had been a student of architecture at Vancouver’s British Columbia University and has been an active participant in educational and social projects. When a strong earthquake hit the town of Bam in Iran in 2003, she went to Iran and spent months helping with the relief and reconstruction efforts.