Iran regularly uses foreign or bi-national prisoners as means of pressure to win certain cases.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday arrested seven people with ‘links’ to the UK, some of whom have dual citizenship, over anti-government protests that have rocked the country, according to a statement carried by state media. .
“Seven key leaders of recent UK-linked protests (and) have been arrested by IRGC (Revolutionary Guard) intelligence, including people with dual nationality trying to leave the country “, noted the press release.
The UK Foreign Office said it was seeking further information from Iranian authorities about the arrested dual nationals. Iran has been conducting hostage diplomacy since the 1980s, using foreign prisoners as means of pressure to win certain cases.
Since the government does not recognize dual nationality, it often denies dual national prisoners access, already limited in prison, to consular services. According to the French authorities, seven French people are currently detained in Iran.
Protests since September
The arrests announced on Sunday follow protests sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, arrested for wearing “inappropriate attire” under the strict Islamic dress code in place. Iran for women.
The protests, in which protesters from all walks of life have called for the fall of Iran’s ruling theocracy, continue to be one of the greatest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
The government has blamed the unrest on protesters bent on destroying public property and says they are trained and armed by enemies including the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
