Opposition Leaders Arrested in Iran

According to one report, Ebrahim Yazdi was arrested today in Isfahan, Iran. His family in the United States are still trying to determine whether or not he is still in police custody.

79-year-old Yazdi is the Secretary General of the Freedom Movement in Iran. He was the first Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Yazdi resigned because he did not support the taking of U.S. hostages in 1979. He has remained in politics, though in opposition, working for reforms in his country. His six children live in America. Yazdi prefers to live in Iran.

Yazdi and several other members of the Freedom Movement—Hashem Sabbaghian, Ghaffar Farzad, Ahad Rezai, and Ali Asghar Ghafoori—were all picked up as they moved from the funeral for a member of their party to a private residence, for a prayer service, according to Yazdi’s family.

The house where they were to attend the prayer service was reportedly attacked by plainclothes police who identified themselves as members of the security forces and the Basij militia.

They were told the issue was that they didn’t have a permit to perform a prayer service.

Iran’s English language news service, Press TV, claims Yazdi was detained along with his party’s number two, Hashem Sabbaghian.

Press TV says the men were going to attend a Friday prayers mass led by a “well-known Wahhabi element in Isfahan”.

Yazdi was arrested from his hospital room in the early chaotic days after last June’s disputed presidential elections in Iran. He had been released. Yazdi has suffered from cancer.