No Information about Bagher Gholami after 3 Months of Detention
23-May-2016
Category: religious minorities
Breathing in Confinement – Family of Bagher Gholami, Ahwazi activist, after nearly three months of his detention, still has no information of his fate.
According to the report of “Breathing in Confinement”, Bagher Gholami, son of Eshagh, born on 04.12.1980, married and father of a daughter named Salma (3 years old) and a son named Eshagh (one year and three months), was arrested by the intelligence office in Ahwaz and his family has no information of his fate so far.
Bagher Gholami used to live in the Zargan area, in the north of Ahwaz and because of security forces’ pressures had to change his location in different areas in the city of Ahwaz, and after his arrest he used to live in the Padadshahr Alley.
Bagher Gholami had been arrested and detained for several times previously, because of his activities.
He was arrested in February 2011, and was detained for a month. He was then imprisoned for a year and a month from July 26, 2012 on and after being arrested on December 17, 2013 he was more than five months in prison. In the last case he was arrested by the intelligence service agents in Ahwaz, on March 6, 2016.
His relatives say, the officials took him while he was at home at 5 pm on March 6, with a private car and he was only with slack suit and they did not allow him to take even his glasses. After 2 hours, at around 7 pm, the intelligence agents entered his house without a warrant, and after searching the house took all the books, pamphlets and other personal belongings including his two mobile phones with them.
Since his arrest, his family and relatives have gone to the intelligence office and Revolutionary Court, but have not been given any information of his fate, and the authorities disavow his arrest.
Bagher Gholami had been charged of propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, blasphemy by converting from Shiite to Sunni, forming groups and communities in different parts of the city of Ahvaz, running home meetings with the recitation of the Quran, holding congregational prayers and religious holidays at the same time with Arab countries, by the Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz, presided by Judge Seyed Mohammad Mousavi. He had endured his sentence and had been released from prison.