Under the title "Horrific Images... This is How Iran Tortured an Activist's Sister to Pressure Him," the Al Arabiya website reported that the series of arrests and torture against activists and their families continues in Iran. Intelligence in the city of Ushnuyeh in the northwest of the country summoned two sisters, interrogating and torturing them for eight hours. The "Hankaw" organization, concerned with human rights, stated that the goal of the arrest and torture was to pressure their brother, a journalist and Iranian activist abroad.
The organization clarified on its website that the two women are Hajar (41 years old) and Kulthum (38 years old), sisters of the activist Satar Aras Zadeh, who resides in Norway. Furthermore, it added that Iranian intelligence agents asked the sisters to pressure Zadeh to stop his activities, according to a source.
The source confirmed to the organization that Hajar's arms were severely injured, noting that bruises were visible on her. The intelligence had requested the sisters to sign a written document during their last summons, but they refused, leading to their harassment and subsequent torture.
The activist and journalist Satar Aras Zadeh (39 years old) fled Iran seeking asylum in Norway in 2011. He is known as an activist in several newspapers, covering Kurdish events in Norwegian. He published a book in 2015 and is currently working on his second book.
In a related context, Iranian security authorities arrested several activists from Ahvaz, including two women, during a protest by the Karun River on Friday evening against water transfer policies. Security forces attacked the demonstrators who were holding banners protesting the water transfer policies to central Iranian provinces and the cutting off of water supplies to agricultural lands and wetlands. Among the arrested activists, names such as Ibrahim Al-Hai, Salem Anwari, Walid Al-Badawi, Said Al-Halaiji, Ilham Al-Mousawi, and Fatima Al-Naami were identified.
It is noteworthy that the Ahvaz region has witnessed widespread protests since July 15, during which at least nine demonstrators were killed, and hundreds were arrested by Iranian security forces, according to international human rights organizations.
