Families of Iranian detainees targeted by authorities

Leila Farhadpour

Leila Farhadpour, journalist and women’s right activist, was arrested yesterday at her home by security officials.

On Monday, she had gone to Evin Prison to follow up on her detained son’s case. Suffering from heart complications, she fainted at the prison and was transferred to the hospital. She was later arrested back at her home.

Her son, Behrang Tonkaboni, editor-in-chief of Farhang-o-Ahang-e Rooz, was arrested over two weeks ago at the office of the publication. Ms. Farhadpour’s attempts at getting information regarding his situation were not successful.

In the past seven months, scores of journalists who have supported the dispute against the June presidential elections which secured Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s new term at presidency, and criticized the post-election crackdown on protesters, have been arrested.

Reformist website, Kalameh, reports that Masood Noor-Mohammadi, brother of Saeed Noor-Mohammadi, a detained member of the reformist group, Islamic Participation Front, was arrested on Wednesday.

Saeed Noor-Mohammadi is a member of the youth section of the reformist party and has been in jail since last September.

Following reports that he was “being beaten” at Evin prison, his brother protests to prison authorities and ends up getting arrested himself.

Family of the prominent reformist cleric, Ayatollah Khalaji have also been threatened by the authorities that if they continue to protests against his arrest, they will be punished as well.

Activists in other provinces of Iran have also been the target of arrests and fierce crackdown. Members of reformist group, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization in Kohgilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad were arrested on Wednesday after they protested to the speech of a conservative Member of Parliament, Ruhollah Hoseinian in Yasouj.

Amir Kabir Newsletter also reports the arrest of two student activists in Saveh.

In the past seven months, the Islamic Republic government has arrested over five thousand election protesters in order to put down people’s demands for renewed elections and justice for all political prisoners.