Arrest of Reza Eslami and Continued Lack of Information on Status of Shahid Beheshti University Law Professor

Despite the arrest of Reza Eslami, a law professor at Shahid Beheshti University, by security forces in recent days, there remains no information regarding the status of his case and the location of his detention.

According to reports published by human rights media outlets, the law professor at Shahid Beheshti University was arrested on Sunday, May 13, during a raid by Ministry of Intelligence agents at his workplace. After searching Eslami’s residence, the agents seized some of his personal belongings, including a mobile phone, several books, a laptop, and some university notes, and transferred him to an unknown location.

Following the publication of this news, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, spokesman for the Judiciary, denied on Tuesday, May 20, that Eslami was arrested at his office at Beheshti University, claiming that he was not arrested at the university. He also attributed the presence of security forces at Shahid Beheshti University to obtaining certain documents and records that he described as “criminal.” However, no information regarding the contents of these documents and records has been released to date.

Reza Eslami holds a Ph.D. in law from McGill University in Canada and is one of the professors in the fields of human rights and environmental law at Shahid Beheshti University. According to some human rights activists, security agents have prevented his family from being informed of his arrest by promising his release.

The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned violent conduct and widespread suppression of dissidents and protesters, as well as the persistent and continuous violation of the rights of Iranian citizens, including civil and trade activists, by the ruling regime of that country.

Source: Voice of America