In an attempt to control the protests… Iran blackmails the international community and arrests foreigners
Human rights groups reported that Iranian security forces have arrested two Spanish nationals in connection with ongoing nationwide protests in the country. The human rights news agency reported that the Spanish nationals remain in detention, though little is known about them.
Arresting foreigners
The last arrest of foreigners in Iran was that of 24-year-old Ana Banera, who HRANA says was detained during protests and imprisoned “in recent days,” citing sources close to her family, although they said the exact date and whereabouts of her were unknown. Her arrest comes in the wake of the arrest of 41-year-old Santiago Sanchez, who was arrested in the city of Saqqez after visiting the cemetery of Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked the recent unrest. Sanchez sent a picture of himself to friends on the Iraq-Iran border with the caption “Entering Iran,” according to the US Associated Press.
The US agency reported that the Spanish embassy in Tehran confirmed the arrest of the Spanish nationals and said that its employees were in contact with the Iranian authorities about them. The agency also reported that Sanchez entered Iran while traveling from Madrid to Doha to participate in the 2022 World Cup.
Local challenges
The Iranian Human Rights Agency also reported that security forces arrested Ilham Afkari, the sister of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed in 2020 after being convicted of murder. Ilham Afkari was arrested at the border while trying to flee the country and accused of being an agent of the Persian language news organization Iran International, based in London. From her Twitter account, Iran International categorically denied “the Islamic Republic’s claim that Ilham Afkari worked with the broadcaster or cooperated with him.” Iran International reported that Elham’s brother, the wrestler Navid Afkari, was executed in September 2020, after taking part in protests and accusing him of killing a government employee, leading to strong domestic and international condemnations. Two brothers remain in prison, and have been sentenced to 6 years. Over four years, Navid and his two brothers were severely tortured in prison.
The US agency confirmed that the arrests come at a time when the protests that started in September continued throughout the country. Sparks erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Kurdish region of Iran, after she was detained by the morality police for allegedly not following the strict dress codes in the country. The protests represent one of the biggest domestic challenges facing the Iranian religious system since the protests of the Green Movement in 2009.
