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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
British-US-Iranian citizen held in Tehran is ‘on hunger strike,’ sister says
2022-03-23
[IsraelTimes] Environmentalist Morad Tahbaz wasn’t part of last week’s release of 2 UK-Iranian prisoners; family says London authorities attributed their inaction to fact that he’s American too.

Morad Tahbaz, an environmental campaigner being held in Iran, has gone on hunger strike, his sister said on Monday, accusing the UK government of abandoning him after two other detainees were released.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori flew home last week, at the same time as the UK government repaid a longstanding debt to Tehran.

But Tahbaz, 69, who holds British, US and Iranian citizenship, was only released on furlough from Tehran’s Evin prison and was not allowed to leave the country.

After 48 hours he was taken back to prison, reportedly to have an ankle bracelet fitted, but he has not been heard from since.

"We have heard through a relative just now... that he’s been taken from the prison and he’s been taken to an undisclosed location and that he’s gone on hunger strike," Tarane Tahbaz told BBC radio.

"He continues to be used as a pawn on a chessboard. And it’s very distressing, we’re agonizing, we’re absolutely distraught, and we don’t know what the next moves are."

Tarane Tahbaz said that her brother has cancer and has already lost 40 kilograms (88 pounds) in weight.

She accused the government in London of not communicating with the family and not doing enough to secure Morad’s release.

"The only answer we’ve heard from them since is that it’s because Morad is also an American citizen," she said.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that "Morad has now been moved from Evin prison to a residential location in Tehran."

"We have been in touch with Morad’s family throughout the day and continue to lobby the Iranian authorities at the highest levels to allow him to return home immediately, as the Iranian government committed to doing," it said.

A Tehran court in 2020 tossed in the slammer
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
Tahbaz for 10 years on charges of spying, conspiring with Washington and damaging national security.

He and seven others convicted on similar charges worked with environmental group Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation to track endangered species and were arrested on suspicion of espionage in early 2018.
Related:
Morad Tahbaz: 2022-03-21 Iran returns dual US-UK citizen to prison after brief furlough
Morad Tahbaz: 2022-03-20 Family of British-Iranian says Tehran demanded $35,000 for his release
Morad Tahbaz: 2020-02-24 Iran sentences alleged US spies to up to 10 years in prison
Related:
Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation: 2018-02-12 Canadian-Iranian dies in Iranian custody, officials claim he committed suicide
Posted by:trailing wife

#2  Like some D&D game.

"mY chaotic-lawful pedo/thief/politician would like to enter the game."

"You enter the tavern, and the tavernmaster says, 'Another beer summit, my liege?'"
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-03-23 16:19  

#1  Maybe we can limit people to two citizenships. Three seems sort of like citizenship hogging. Save some for the rest of us.
Posted by: Super Hose   2022-03-23 12:40  

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