Iran: UK-Iranian nationals arrested over protests

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested seven people linked to the United Kingdom in the ongoing protests over the weekend. Some of the individuals arrested were dual citizens.

A statement published by Iranian state media on Sunday said that the Revolutionary Guards arrested seven individuals with ties to the UK, some of which were dual citizens of the UK. The individuals were arrested in connection to the ongoing protests taking place across the country since September. The British foreign ministry said it was requesting more information from Iranian authorities over the arrests of the dual nationals.

“Seven main leaders of the recent protests related to the UK were detained by intelligence services of the IRGC including dual nationals who were trying to leave the country,” said the statement.

The reported arrests are the latest since the demonstrations broke out in September following the death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police. Amini died days after being detained for allegedly breaching the Islamic Republic’s dress code on women.

The ongoing protests marked the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical regime since the 1979 Revolution, as people from all walks of life joined in the demonstrations led by women and students. Tehran has sought to blame its foreign adversaries, such as the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, for fomenting the protests while engaging in a crackdown on the demonstrations. Two people have already been executed for protest-related charges.

On Saturday, the Iranian Supreme Court accepted the appeal of ethnic Kurdish rapper Saman Yesin against his death sentence. Yesin was accused of attempting to kill security forces, destroying public property by setting a garbage bin on fire, and opening fire in the air with his handgun during the protests. Yesin, who has supported the protests, has denied the charges made against him.

Yesin’s granted appeal follows the announcement that the Iranian Supreme Court suspended the death sentence of protester Mahan Sadrat 10 days prior. Sadrat was charged with several offenses such as stabbing a police officer and setting a motorcycle on fire.

Another appeal made along with Yesin’s was upheld by the Supreme Court later in the afternoon.