Sister of executed Iranian wrestler arrested and recognized by state information as 'agent'

Muricas News  — 

Iranian officers mentioned they've recognized the “Iran Worldwide agent” arrested Thursday as Elham Afkari, the sister of well-known Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed two years in the past, in response to state information company IRNA.

London-based information channel Iran Worldwide has turn into one of many go-to sources for a lot of Iranians on the lookout for information on the nation’s ongoing protests within the nation.

The opposition tv broadcaster, which was known as a “terrorist” group by the Iranian intelligence minister on Tuesday, has denied any affiliation with Elham.

In a press release despatched to Muricas News, the London-based broadcaster mentioned Elham “isn't an worker of Iran Worldwide, neither is she an affiliate or agent of the corporate.”

Her brother, Navid Afkari, was convicted of killing Hassan Torkman, a water firm safety worker, throughout a protest in Shiraz in 2018.

Initially, Afkari confessed to the crime, however in court docket he retracted these phrases, arguing that he had been tortured into making a false confession.

“It ought to be famous that she [Elham Afkari] is the sister of Navid Afkari, the killer of martyr Torkman, an worker of the regional water firm of Fars province,” IRNA reported.

“Intelligence operatives have been monitoring the actions of Elham Afkari for the previous few years,” IRNA mentioned, including that “she was one of many most important leaders in organizing current riots.”

State media shared photos allegedly exhibiting Elham’s arrest. The images present a lady seated within the backseat of a automobile with barred home windows, with a black blindfold over her face.

Saeed Afkari, Elham and Navid’s brother, confirmed his sister’s arrest on Twitter on Thursday, saying that Elham’s three-year-old daughter was additionally lacking.

He later mentioned Elham had been taken to a division of Iran’s intelligence ministry, and that his sister’s partner and daughter had been launched.

“Elham was taken to No.100 intelligence ministry division,” he tweeted.

Since Navid Afkari was executed, his household has confronted many court docket circumstances over involvement within the demonstrations in 2018.

Vahid Afkari, one in all his brothers, stays in solitary confinement, in response to the rights group Iran Human Rights.

Based in 2017, Iran Worldwide has been on the forefront of masking current demonstrations following the loss of life in custody of Mahsa Amini – a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian girl detained by morality police for allegedly not sporting her hijab correctly.

Nevertheless, the 24-hour information channel’s protection of the demonstrations has introduced it underneath the scrutiny of the Iranian authorities.

This week, Iran Worldwide mentioned two of its British-Iranian journalists working in the UK have been warned by police of a “credible” plot by Iran to kill them.

In a press release Monday, the Farsi-language broadcaster mentioned it was “shocked and deeply involved” by the alleged deadly threats, whereas accusing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of being a part of a “important and harmful escalation” of Tehran’s “marketing campaign to intimidate Iranian journalists working overseas.”

“Two of our British-Iranian journalists have, in current days, been notified of a rise within the threats to them,” Iran Worldwide mentioned within the assertion.

“The Metropolitan Police have now formally notified each journalists that these threats symbolize an imminent, credible and important danger to their lives and people of their households.”

Iran Worldwide didn't identify the journalists for safety causes.

The Committee to Shield Journalists mentioned that as of Monday at the very least 61 journalists have been arrested in Iran for causes together with masking the protests, reporting on the loss of life of protesters, and taking pictures of demonstrations, in response to a report from the group.