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Iranwire – Farzad Rezaei, a 41-year-old resident of the central Iranian city of Arak, was arrested by intelligence officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on September 14 and was taken to an undisclosed location.
Rezaei’s family has been searching for him for the past two weeks.
Security authorities have provided no clear answers regarding the reason for his arrest or his whereabouts.
In the days leading up to the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody on September 16, many activists and other residents of Markazi province were either arrested or summoned by the authorities.
“On the morning of September 14, like any other day, Farzad and a friend headed to work,” a source close to his family told IranWire.
“Witnesses reported that plainclothes officers abducted him in their car and left his vehicle in a parking lot. Since that day, [his relatives] have scoured everywhere trying to find a trace of him, but they have found very little,” the source added.
According to the source, Rezaei lives with his 74-year-old mother and takes care of her.
“Farzad is separated from his wife and has a child…on the evening of his arrest, he made a brief phone call to his mother. We know only that he was detained by IRGC intelligence agents, but he did not disclose the detention center during that call,” the source said.
“His elderly mother, accompanied by his brother, visited all the detention centers and prisons, but each time they were asked to leave and return in a few days.
“A day prior to his arrest, a plain clothed individual came to their home and inquired about Farzad. He asked about Farzad’s occupation and whereabouts.
“His mother did not understand the reason for these questions, but neighbors later informed her that the same individual had been observing the activities around their house for several days.”
There is no information about the charges against Rezaei, but the source told IranWire that his alleged crime was showing support and empathy for the families of the victims of the crackdown on protests.
Rezaei shared a video on his Instagram account that was recorded on the birthday of Erfan Rezaei Navaei, a protester who died in the northern city of Amol on September 21, 2022.
Rezaei compiled images of Erfan at the gravesite of Nika Shakrami, another victim of the security forces. These images were accompanied by the song Ey Iran played on a melodica.
