Iranian-American Zoroastrian Couple Arrested by IRGC

HRANA News Agency – Karen Vafadari and A’farin Neisari, Iranian-American Zoroastrian couple, are still kept in limbo in the sixth month of their detention in Evin prison. Mrs. Neisari has been transferred to the women’s ward but her husband, Mr. Vafadari is in ward 2-A, and probably in solitary confinement. They have been interrogated under preliminary charges of “espionage” but they have not been tried yet and their charges have not been officially announced.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), A’farin Neisari was arrested on October 21, 2016 and several days later, Karen Vafadari was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence forces, both in the airport. 
They were taken to ward 2-A of the Revolutionary Guards in Evin prison, after being arrested.
A’farin Neisari was held in solitary confinement for 48 days and then was transferred to the women’s ward, on December 14. But her husband, Mr. Vafadari is still in ward 2-A, and is probably kept in solitary confinement.
Mrs. Neisari has been allowed to make a phone call just once so far.
An informed source, regarding their situation, told HRANA’s reporter that their case was under investigation by Shahid Moghadas Prosecutor’s Office in Evin and said: “This couple owns a modern art gallery and workshop, and because many embassies are their customers and they had relation with them for selling things, they have been arrested on charge of espionage”.
It is noteworthy that not long ago, Cateh Vafadari, Karen Vafadari’s sister, released a letter announcing the arrest of her brother and her brother’s wife by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards intelligence service, and called on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, to release them. In her letter, she stated that during this time they have faced “frame-up for financial extortion, seizure of the properties, and security threats”.
Karen Vafadari’s sister has explained in the letter that, a day after their arrest, the officers handcuffed them and took them to their house, they took the art works from the walls of the house and destroyed some in the yard and seized the rest. Then they took these two to their gallery and then seized and broke some of the art works and sealed the gallery.
Karen Vafadari is graduated in electrical engineering and management from New York University. A’farin Neisari is also graduated in architecture from Iran. They have three children, all of whom live in America. Karen Vafadari and his wife live in the area of Vanak village in Tehran and their art gallery is called “A’n”, which was sealed by the officers after their arrest.
It should be noted, arresting foreign citizens especially who have Iranian-American dual nationality is sometimes influenced by the political situation between the two countries, as in the last event coincided with the nuclear deal between the two countries, a number of imprisoned Iranian-American citizens were used to compromise the relations between the two countries.

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