Amid continued pressure on critics, Dr. Hasan Bāqeri-Niyā, a former university professor and social analyst, was arrested along with his wife, Fatemeh Nourādi, a few hours ago following a security forces raid on their home in the city of Mashhad. According to close sources, security agents conducted a thorough search of the residence and confiscated all family members’ mobile phones and electronic devices.
No information is yet available regarding the location where the two citizens are being held or the charges brought against them. This comes after Dr. Bāqeri-Niyā received an official summons yesterday to appear in court for his final defense, with a scheduled court date next Saturday.
Dr. Bāqeri-Niyā had previously been sentenced to a total of ten years and nine months in prison for charges related to his peaceful activities; under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment of six years’ imprisonment was applied. Of that sentence, five years were suspended and may be enforced if the authorities determine a “repetition of the offense.” As an additional penalty, he has been banned from teaching at universities and educational institutions for two years and prohibited from leaving the country.
This critic’s arrest occurs at a time when the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus has increasingly intensified its crackdown on dissenting voices in recent years. As domestic and international crises have called the regime’s warmongering policies into question, the security forces have opted not to respond to substantive criticism but instead to exact revenge on critics such as Dr. Bāqeri-Niyā.
