Elham Afkari, was arrested on charges of “spreading lies, helping to increase unrest in the country, influencing some women's associations and inviting women to gather and riot” as cited by Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
There has been no sufficient evidence to support these claims made by Iranian authorities.
Iran has been engulfed in turmoil for the past eight weeks since the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of Tehran’s morality police on September 16, igniting an unprecedented nationwide protest movement that has brought Iranians from all corners together to call for the overthrow of the Islamic regime.
Tehran has accused regional and international rivals of promoting the current unrest in Iran by expressing their solidarity with the protesters and their media coverage of the demonstrations.
Iran has also blamed the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia for being behind the protests but on Tuesday, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib threatened the UK with retaliation for hosting Iran International, a news outlet that has become a popular among Iranians to receive news about their country as the internet is severely restricted. Khatib has labeled the outlet as a "terrorist organization".
Elham Afkari is the sister of the deceased Navid Afkari who was executed in 2020. The 27-year-old was detained on September 17, 2018, one month after widespread anti-government protests, and was charged with the killing of an employee of the state-run water and sewage department in Shiraz which caused international outrage.
In September 2020, the United States blacklisted several Iranian officials and entities over alleged gross violations of human rights that also included the case of Navid Afkari's execution.
Two of Afkari’s brothers, Vahid and Habib, were also sentenced to prison in addition to 74 lashes each for the same offence. The three faced a “grossly unfair” trial, according to Amnesty International with the brothers saying that the confessions used to convict them in court were extracted under torture.
By Zheen Saman
