Amnesty International Calls for Immediate Release of Mehran Raoof, Iranian-British Citizen Imprisoned in Evin

Amnesty International has issued an appeal calling for the unconditional release of Mehran Raoof, an Iranian-British citizen and labor rights activist, who has been detained in Iran solely for “advocating human rights and engaging in labor rights activities.”

Amnesty International issued this appeal, urging people and human rights activists worldwide to protest Iran’s detention of Mr. Raoof and to demand that the Islamic Republic authorities immediately end the solitary confinement of this dual-nationality prisoner and protect him from further torture and other ill-treatment.

The human rights organization also called on Iranian authorities to ensure that Mr. Raoof has access to consular assistance from British authorities and that he is able to maintain contact with his family outside Iran, while having access to a lawyer of his choice and all necessary medical care.

According to Amnesty International, Mehran Raoof, an Iranian-British dual-nationality prisoner, was arrested on Friday, October 16, 2020, when Revolutionary Guards raided his residence, conducted a search, and confiscated some of his personal belongings. He was transferred to Evin Prison along with several other labor rights activists across Iran. He has been held in prolonged solitary confinement for months.

The organization, mindful of the Revolutionary Guards’ pattern of torturing detainees to extract “forced confessions,” is concerned that this imprisoned labor activist is at serious risk of further torture and violation of his other human rights.

Currently, in addition to Mehran Raoof, several dual-nationality citizens—including Nahid Taghavi, Siamak and Baquer Namazi, Ares Amiri, Kamran Ghadiri, Masoud Mesaheb, and Anousha Ashouri—are imprisoned in Iran.