On February 26, three days after civil activist Hossein Ronaghi Maleki went missing, his lawyers informed the family that he was arbitrarily detained by security forces and a new legal case has been opened against him.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on February 23, Maleki’s family announced that his son was missing until last Saturday, when their lawyers confirmed he had been abducted and detained by security forces.

Following his lawyer’s inquiry with judicial authorities in Evin Courthouse, it was revealed that a new legal case has been opened against him in Branch 2 of the Prosecutor Office, headed by Mahmood Haj-Moradi.

Confirming this news, one of his lawyers told HRANA that “they did not allow Hossein’s lawyers to access to the documents of this case”.

A source close to Ronaghi told HRANA that the Ministry of Intelligence’s agents had abducted him. One day after he went missing, intelligence agents searched his house using a key they had confiscated from him. During his detention, they did not allow him to contact his family to inform them about his arrest and whereabouts.

The charges against him are still unknown at the time of writing.

Ronaghi suffers from severe kidney problems. During his last incarceration, this granted him an imprisonment intolerance certificate, raising concerns about his health condition.

Ronaghi has faced other arrests and convictions due to his civil activities.