A Narrative of Disappearance: 90 Days of Missing Morteza Ebrahimi

Iranwire – Morteza Ebrahimi, 35, went missing after leaving his home on the evening of January 8. More than 90 days have passed, and there is still no clarity about what happened to him.

Although he told his family he was going to work, he had actually planned to join protest rallies. In his last contact, Morteza said he was in Tehran’s Shehrak-e Gharb area. Since then, there has been no trace of him.

Since his disappearance, Morteza’s family, especially his mother, has stayed at home, waiting for him to return. Relatives say the family is in a fragile mental state. Their only hope is to know his fate: “They just want to know if Morteza is alive or dead. No one knows exactly what happened to him.”

People who knew Morteza describe him as hardworking and someone who was always trying to build a better life for himself and his family.

A lawyer, speaking to IranWire anonymously for security reasons, said: “There is no trace of Morteza Ebrahimi. According to investigations, the Shapur Investigation Department and various police stations told the family that his mobile phone signal was last detected near Aghdasieh and Ozgol, and once in Shehrak-e Gharb.”

According to this source, Morteza’s phone kept ringing for two days after his disappearance, until January 10, before it was switched off. Despite this, no official authority has taken responsibility for his arrest or detention.

The family has since received multiple suspicious and conflicting phone calls. One anonymous caller claimed Morteza was being held in quarantine under IRGC supervision with no outside contact. Later calls suggested he was in the “Tehran Great Prison” or Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

At the same time, other calls offered darker and contradictory claims. In the early days, one caller said Morteza had been killed and burned and asked the family to come for DNA testing. Another claimed he had been buried in a mass grave. The family carried out extensive searches, including visits to the Kahrizak morgue to check bodies, but found no trace of him.

Pay 10 Billion Tomans to Free Him

After some time, another person contacted the family claiming Morteza had been sentenced to death. This individual, identifying himself as the “Head of all Prisons in Tehran Province,” offered to reduce the sentence to 10 years and then to 2 years in exchange for a large payment. He demanded 10 billion tomans ($200,000+) in property deeds or 4 billion tomans in cash, asking for an immediate transfer of 1 billion tomans.

Sources say the family has been overwhelmed with contradictory information, with some individuals even demanding 100 million tomans just to provide false leads. According to the lawyer, Morteza’s name does not appear in any official government records.

On Saturday, February 21, about a week before the war in Iran began, one of these anonymous callers reached out again. The source said: “Whenever Morteza’s family asked for a photo or a sign to prove he was alive and in custody, the caller would hang up and never call back.”

Around a month after reporting him missing, near February 18, the police summoned the family to the Shapur Investigation Department. They were told that since Morteza was not listed in any prison records, it would be better to withdraw the missing person report so the “case could be closed,” assuring them they would be informed if he was ever found. Sources say this reflects a broader effort to erase missing person cases linked to the January protests.

A few days later, the family received a letter asking them to return to the Shapur office. This time, they were told the last signal from Morteza’s phone was traced to the “Mini City” area in northeast Tehran, contradicting earlier information.

Advice to Families: Do Not Close Missing Person Files

Human rights lawyer Mousa Barzin told IranWire: “If Morteza had been arrested, his status would certainly have been clarified by now. Given that his name is not in any official registry, there is a possibility he was killed and buried somewhere.”

Speaking about efforts to close such cases, he added: “Names of detainees are usually registered at police stations or the Investigation Department before being transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office. Even with a high volume of arrests, this process takes only a few days. When a name is not registered anywhere, it essentially means they are not on the list of detainees.”

Barzin also warned families:

“Demanding money in exchange for information is a scam in 99% of cases. Families must not be deceived. Unfortunately, some families even sell their homes to provide these sums. Under no circumstances should money be paid.”

He stressed the importance of keeping cases open: “As long as the missing person case is open, the police are legally obligated to investigate. Closing the case means the authorities no longer have a responsibility to search for the individual. Even if it takes years, the family must not give up the pursuit.”

According to the lawyer, there are signs that certain agencies have attempted to block investigations and follow-ups into missing persons linked to the protests.