Masih Alinejad: “My brother’s only crime is that he is related to me.”

According to a statement released by exiled journalist Masih Alinejad, the trial of her brother, Alireza Alinejad, in Iran is being conducted to pressure her into ending her campaign against mandatory hijab. The Campaign for Human Rights in Iran condemns the pressure being exerted on family members of exiled activists and journalists, including Alireza Alinejad.

Saeid Dehqan, Alireza Alinejad’s lawyer, wrote on Instagram that part of the first court session was devoted to discussing his client’s sister Masih Alinejad’s activities.

According to Masih Alinejad: “My brother’s only crime is that he is related to me. They are cruelly inflicting these hardships upon him just to silence me.”

According to the statement, Alireza Alinejad has been in detention for months. This is while Judge Mohammad Moghisseh has not yet specified the charges against him and has objected to his temporary release.

Judge Moghisseh has a long record of issuing heavy security sentences for peaceful activities of civil activists, including journalists.

Recently, Judge Moghisseh objected to the conditional release of Fatima Khoshvand, known as “Sahar Tabar,” who was arrested approximately six months ago for posting fantasy images on Instagram, even though she had contracted COVID-19 and was connected to an oxygen device in the hospital.

Since his arrest by officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in October 2010, Alireza Alinejad has been detained in ward 2-A of Evin Prison.

Masih Alinejad, who lives in the United States, is the founder of the virtual campaign “Stealthy Freedom” and a correspondent for the weekly program “Tablet” for Voice of America.

Also, in August 2018, the Iranian government pressured members of the Alinejad family to appear in a television interview against her and to condemn her anti-mandatory hijab activities.

Iranian security agencies have, in many cases, harassed and detained the relatives of civil activists and journalists residing outside the country in order to threaten and neutralize them and attempted to discredit their credibility.

Last month, United Nations human rights experts called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to end harassment and threats against BBC Persian Service journalists in London and to stop the degrading treatment of their relatives in Iran.

Source: Campaign for Human Rights in Iran