Hojat Kalashi and Eight Political Activists Arrested

HRANA News Agency – Following a threatening phone call against the members of Pan Iranist Party’s Youth Organization, armed intelligence agents raided a gathering and arrested nine members of this party.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, intelligence agents in Khuzestan Province contacted two members of Pan Iranist Party of Iran by phone and verbally threatened them.

Two party members, Zahed Khalafi and Ovzan Akbari, were warned by phone not to hold the youth gathering in the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province. Otherwise, all individuals attending the meeting would be arrested. Zahed Khalafi is in charge of the Pan Iranist Party in Mahshahr and Sarbandar, and Ovzan Akbari is an activist from Ahvaz.

Despite this threat, on Friday, June 24, 2011, the monthly meeting of the Pan Iranist Party with the presence of Hojat Kalashi, the youth organization’s leader, was held. Since then, no one has received any news from any of the attendees including Hojat Kalashi, Ovzan Akbari, Milad Dehghan, Farhad Baghbani, Zahed Khalghi, Amin Karimi and three other individuals. An informed source has reported to HRANA that at least nine members of this party were arrested during this gathering.

Previously, Hojat Kalashi, Milad Dehghan and Farhad Baghbani had been arrested and charged with the membership in the Pan Iranist Party and propaganda against the regime. Following this arrest, they were released on bail and were waiting for the ruling by the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz. Furthermore, in recent years, Zahed Khalghi has been under enormous pressure at work and has been summoned to and interrogated by Iran’s Intelligence Agency in Khuzestan Province multiple times.